Kingdom Hearts III: The Final Door
by TC-Irish3
Summary: The stage has been set. Everything that happened before was meant for a reason. Now the final confrontation is here. Xehanort's thirteen darknesses against the seven guardians of light. Will the light defeat the darkness once and for all? Or will darkness devour everything in its path? Sora and his friends will do all they can to put and end to Xehanort's evil, or die trying.
1. Chapter 1

Much has happened in all the worlds. Once there was only light, before darkness was awakened in people's hearts. Some believed this was meant to be, that the dark was created to balance out with the light. Others saw through this and made it their devotion to protect the light from the darkness. Wars raged, lives were lost and whole worlds destroyed.

There was one man who became obsessed with the darkness and the secrets of Kingdom Hearts itself. He allowed himself to be consumed by the darkness. His name was Xehanort.

Three friends, all Keybearers. Two hoped to be given the title of Keyblade Master, and only one received it. The other was confused, and he sought to help his friends in any way he could. He was a part of something more: the X-Blade. His name was Ventus. The one who was given the title of Master, Aqua, chose to make the ultimate sacrifice. She cast herself off to the Realm of Darkness In order to save Terra, who lost his heart to darkness and became a vessel for Xehanort. Aqua now resides in the Realm of Darkness, and hasn't been seen in many years. Ventus now sleeps in the empty stillness of Castle Oblivion, waiting for his heart to return to him.

Fast forward over a decade. Once again there were three friends. One was a princess, though she didn't know, and her heart of pure light opened the Door To Darkness, at least only momentarily. Her name was Kairi. The next was Riku, he yearned to see other worlds, so much in fact that he allowed himself to open his heart to darkness. There was one more. An unlikely hero who showed that all you really need is a strong heart and strong friends to guide you along the way. His name was Sora.

Sora, Riku, and Kairi lived a quiet and peaceful life on the Destiny Islands. They wanted nothing more than to leave their island and see other worlds. They had a good plan, supplies taken care of and a raft to take them as far as need be. They were all set to leave in one day, but that was before the night. The night of fate. The Heartless came and devoured the world in darkness. Kairi disappeared in front of Sora's eyes, and Riku vanished in a pool of darkness. Only Sora was left, but he wasn't alone. He had weapon in his hands that would change everything he knew. The Keyblade. With it he faced the darkness on his island but it was unable to defeat it.

He was swept away to a new world where he met Leon and Yuffie, who explained to him what the Heartless were and what the Keyblade was. He was the Keyblade Master now. He met with Donald and Goofy, two of the King's most trusted friends, and the three set off on their journey to more worlds. Going form one world to another, they fought more Heartless and sealed the Keyhole of each world, preventing the Heartless form devouring it. At the same time Sora searched for Riku and Kairi, while Donald and Goofy hoped to find their King. Eventually Sora found Riku, only to find he had turned to the darkness and sided with the evil Maleficent. Eventually Sora, Donald and Goofy made it to Hollow Bastion. Here Sora momentarily lost the Keyblade to Riku, but was able to get it back and fight off Riku. Riku couldn't believe it and allowed more darkness into his heart, where he now became controlled by Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness. Ansem explained to Sora who Kairi really was and that her heart was inside of him. After a confronation, Sora released Kairi's heart and the hearts of the Princesses of Heart, while also turning himself into a Heartless. Riku redeemed himself by allowing Kairi, Donald, and Goofy to escape from Ansem. Kairi went back for Sora and was able to turn him back into a human. Upon recuperating back in Traverse Town, Sora knew he would have to brave the world of darkness and defeat Ansem. He did just that and restored the worlds that were lost in darkness. Kairi was sent back to Destiny Islands and Sora, Riku and King Mickey closed Kingdom Hearts.

Sora, Donald and Goofy were left to search for Riku and King Mickey, who were on the other side of Kingdom Hearts. A figure in a dark coat appeared and Sora followed him until he reached Castle Oblivion. Here he encountered the first of Organization XIII, and the leader of Castle Oblivion, Marluxia. Following a false chain of memories, Sora was forced to go into a sleep so the Nobody Naminé could reset them. With this, Sora's Nobody Roxas played his part. Originaly a member of Organization XIII, he left to find out who he really was. Riku, who had to take the body of Ansem, helped DiZ, or Ansem the Wise, capture Roxas to help him restore Sora's memories.

With Sora back in action, he learned that King Mickey was no longer in the Realm of Darkness and was given instructions to see Master Yen Sid. Master Yen Sid informed Sora of the ongoing Heartless threat, along with the new threat of Nobodies and Organization XIII. Given new powers and important information, Sora set out on a new journey with Donald and Goofy to find the Organization and bring them down. Along the way he received hints and help from Riku, to help guide him. The Organization revealed to Sora that they were using his power of the Keyblade to collect hearts for their own Kingdom Hearts. One by one, members of the Organization were defeated by Sora, until only the leader, Xemnas, remained. With the help of Riku, who was given his body back after Ansem the Wise's sacrifice, Sora was able to defeat Xemnas. Trapped in the Realm of Darkness, the door to light opened to Sora and Riku after Kairi's letter to Sora washed up onto the beach they were sitting. Back home, Sora and Riku most likely thought that their adventures were over, were finally over. That was before King Mickey's letter.

The letter contained information of the coming threat of Xehanort's return, and certain Keybearers who needed to be brought back to fight. Aqua and Ventus. Mickey wanted Sora and Riku to meet him at Master Yen Sid's tower immediately.

"Your minds made up?" Riku had asked Sora.

"Yeah, I have to go. I am who I am... Because of them," Sora answered back.

With that Sora and Riku left for Master Yen Sid's tower, to see what he had in store for them. Master Yen Sid explained that Master Xehanort's return was inevitable and that they needed to be ready. The need to find Aqua and Ventus was important yes, but Sora and Riku needed to be ready. They needed to go through the Mark of Mastery Exam to become true Keyblade Masters. Into the Realm of Sleep they went to seal the Sleeping Keyholes. But it was a trap for Sora from the beginning. A mysterious figure appeared to both Riku and Sora several times across their journeys in the Sleeping Worlds. This mysterious figure turned out to be a young Xehanort from the past, who had been given instructions from the older Xehanort. They had special plans for Sora, who unknowingly fell further into their trap with every step he took.

It turned out that Sora was meant to become the thirteenth vessel for Xehanort, as Xehanort explained his master plan to pit his thirteen darknesses against seven guardians of light in order to recreate the X-Blade, the most powerful weapon of all and capable of opening the for to the true Kingdom Hearts. Thanks to Mickey, Riku and Lea, who is the human form of Axel, Sora was rescued and Xehanort forced to retreat for the time being.

Riku was dubbed a Keyblade Master for his efforts in the Realm of Sleep but Sora was not. However this did not keep Sora from keeping his positive attitude and congratulating his best friend. Sora then returned to the Realm of Sleep to train in solitude and Master Yen Sid ordered Riku to bring Kairi to him. She too, would learn to wield a Keyblade and fight as one of the seven guardians of light.

And that is where our story begins. The final Keyblade War is on the horizon, and only time will tell if light conquers darkness once and for all...

**Outside of Master Yen Sid's Tower:**

Kairi jumped backward to catch her breath from her sparring session with Lea. She leaned against her Keyblade to support herself. She had her head down and panting as sweat steadily dripped from her head. She had been training hard since Master Yen Sid informed her she would wield a Keyblade. She was finally able to join her friends in the fight, and no longer had to sit on the sidelines. She could finally prove herself.

"You wanna take a break?" Lea asked as he spun his Keyblade in his hand, it's fiery blade shining in a flurry of red orange and yellow.

"I'm fine, let's keep going," Kairi said standing upright again and getting into her fighting stance.

Riku was always watching Kairi's training sessions with Lea. He was glad to see the progress she had made in such a short amount of time. Still, he didn't want her to push herself to hard. "Kairi, Axel's right. Take a break for now, and we can continue later."

"I said I'm fine!" Kairi snapped back. Then she realized she had just talked back to someone who was only trying to help. She took a deep breath and said, "Sorry Riku..."

"Don't worry about," Riku laughed, "I know you just want to train as much as you can so you'll be ready for the fight. But Axel has been training with a Keyblade much longer than you so he'll naturally be more skilled with it. Right Axel... Huh, what's the matter?"

Lea had his head down and was shaking his head in annoyance. "I've told you a hundred times, it's LEA not AXEL. Got it memorized?"

"I guess I don't, I'll try to remember from now on," Riku said trying to contain his laughter.

"That's what you said last time," Lea muttered to himself, still clearly annoyed.

They hadn't noticed that Master Yen Sid had come outside. "Riku, could I speak with you for a moment?"

"Yes, Master. What's going on?"

"As you know, King Mickey, Donald, and Goofy have returned to Disney Castle to make sure the castle is prepared for anything Xehanort or Maleificent might do. And it has now been a month since Sora left to return to the Realm of Sleep," Master Yen Sid said. Kairi and Lea were now listening to Master Yen Sid as well, curious to see what he had to say. He continued now. "I have sensed darkness is on the move among the worlds. I have already informed King Mickey of this news. Now, regardless if Sora has returned or not, we must begin our own preparations around the worlds to ensure we they are ready. I-"

He was cut off by a portal of light opening up in front of the tower. A lone figure walked out of it. He had spiky brown hair, blue eyes, his close were torn up and he had determined look on his face. It was Sora.

**authors note: Hello readers and fellow fans of Kingdom Hearts! This is my second crack at a Kingdom Hearts 3 story, I had the first chapter done for my original but i never got around to it since I had other stories going on. Anyway, Im really feeling good about my ideas for this, I especially hope you liked how I recapped the events of the series so far. We know that Sora is going to be a more mature character in KH3, so I'll be doing that. That being said, I need your help readers. We know so far that Xehanort's Darknesses are: himself, young Xehanort, Ansem, Xemnas, Vanitas, Isa, and Xigbar/Braig. So that's 7 which means there are 6 left that we don't know. So Im looking for suggestions as to who to make the remaining Darknesses, preferably villains of the past games. If you can give me a good suggestion that'd mean the world, and you can do so by leaving a review or PM me. I hope you will stick with me as I work on this story, please review im open to all forms of feedback whether positive or negative! Until next time! Thanks again for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Sora, your back!" Kairi yelled as she ran to Sora and wrapped her arms around him.

"It's good to see you too," Sora laughed, "It's good to see you all again. What's happened since I've been gone."

"We can discuss these things after you have rested up," Master Yen Sid said, "You look exhausted."

As a matter of fact Sora was exhausted. He hadn't had a proper day of rest his entire time in the Realm of Sleep. He had pushed himself to near his limit, telling himself he refused to fail again. He didn't want to let his friends down like he had during his Mark of Mastery Exam. He wasn't mad at himself for not becoming a Master, but because he felt as though he let his friends down. He never wanted to feel that way again, so he pushed himself as far as he could while training in the Realm of Sleep. He fought thousands of Dream Eaters, taking them all down with ease. Small ones or large ones, it didn't matter. They were no match for the determination in Sora'a eyes.

Now back in the real world, Sora knew Master Yen Sid was right. Time for some much needed rest. He wouldn't be any good in battle if he was near collapsing from fatigue. "Yeah your right Master, but I could really use something to eat first," Sora said as his stomach growled loudly.

Master Yen Sid smiled as everyone laughed. "Food is no problem, in fact I could use some myself. Come everyone, let us go inside for a well-deserved rest."

**The next day:**

"I'm telling you, don't underestimate any of the former Organization XIII members," Lea said as he took another bite of his breakfast. "Especially Isa... Speaking of Isa, and Braig for that matter, they're both mine to finish off."

"I won't get in your way, they're all yours," Riku said, surprised at Lea's sudden serious mood. He didn't know about the past Lea and Isa had back in Hollow Bastion. They were once best friends and now they were bitter enemies. While Lea didn't care for any of the original Organization XIII members, he had unfinished business with Isa and especially Braig.

"Good..." Lea said as he quietly finished the rest of his breakfast. Riku had a growing sense of respect for Lea. It was strange at first seeing the face of a former enemy now helping them, but Lea had proved himself from the beginning. He was the one who had deflected Xehanort's attack that would have led to Sora becoming a vessel, and now he was becoming a very capable warrior with the Keyblade. He seemed to be joking around when not training, but always took his training with the utmost seriousness.

"Good morning," Sora said as he sat down next to Riku with a yawn.

"Morning," Lea said quietly as he got up from the table and left the room.

"What's up with Lea?" Sora asked.

"It's nothing too important, just give him some space for the next day or so," Riku answered. So Sora, tell me.. What exactly did you do when you went back to the Realm of Sleep?"

"Oh well, you know I just trained a lot and took out as many Nightmares as I could. I'm not gonna lie, there were a few moments when I thought I might not make it, especially when I was attacked by several of the biggest Dream Eaters I'd ever seen. But there was always one thing that kept me going..." Sora hesitated as though in deep thought now.

"What Sora? What kept you going?" Riku asked, though he already knew the answer.

"You guys," Sora answered, "You, Kairi, King Mickey, Donald Goofy... Everyone I know and care for. Knowing I had to keep pushing myself to make sure I could do everything in my power to fight with all of you, that's what kept me going."

"You'll be dubbed a Master sooner or later you know, so don't be discouraged by that," Riku said.

Sora waved his hand aside to dismiss what Riku had said. "Believe me that's not even on my mind, I could hardly care less about that. What matters is just fighting now... _Master _Riku."

"Do not call me that," Riku snapped at Sora while nearly pushing him off of his seat.

"Ok Ok, damn take it easy," Sora laughed. "Hey so uh, where is everyone?"

"Well Lea just left, and Master Yen Sid took Kairi outside to train some more," Riku answered.

"I can't believe she's a Keybearer now too," Sora said.

"A lot has happened since... How long has it been, almost two years now right?" Riku asked, unsure of the time that had passed.

"Yeah it's been just about two years now, it's crazy. I mean remember when we were back on the island and we would pretend to go on our own adventures and fight imaginary monsters," Sora said, smiling as he thought of the days when he Riku and Kairi were young kids.

"And now it's all for real," Riku said.

"But no matter what, we'll face if together, all of us," Sora said as he extended his hand toward Riku.

Riku nodded. "Right," he said as he and Sora clasped hands together.

Suddenly the door opened and Master Yen Sid entered. "Ah good you are both awake now. King Mickey will be here soon with Donald and Goofy, and I'd like everyone to be there when I explain what our next move will be."

"Alright, Sora let's head outside," Riku said.

"Right," Sora said nodding his head.

They went outside to meet up with the others. Lea was leaning against the tower wall, his eyes closed. Kairi was facing off agaisn't several weak Shadows and Neoshadows Master Yen Sid summoned strictly for training. Riku and Sora watched as she fought them with considerable skill, despite the fact she had only been using a Keyblade properly for only a month. One Shadow leapt at her and she calmly stepped to the side and swung her Keyblade in a sideways swipe, striking the small, weak Heartless. It dispersed in small cloud of darkness. Now one of the Neoshadows lunged at her and se blocked an attack from one of its dark claws before using a newly learned fire spell to take it out. This small skirmish continued for a few more minutes as Kairi calmly and cooly took out the remaining Heartless with no trouble whatsoever.

Sora had to admit that he was impressed with Kairi's newfound strength. She was no longer the young girl who simply sat by as everyone else fought. Now she too would fight alongside her friends, no matter what. Sora walked up to her and said, "Not bad."

"Better watch out, pretty soon I'll be as strong as you," Kairi said with a smile.

Suddenly the sound of engines filled the air and in the distance a Gummi Ship was visible. The ship landed on the small patch of grass outside Master Yen Sid's tower, and the cockpit opened. Donald and Goofy jumped out first followed by King Mickey.

"Hey look Sora's back!" Goofy exclaimed.

"Sora!" Donald yelled out as he and Goody ran to Sora and nearly tackled him to the ground.

"Whoa, whoa take it easy guys!" Sora laughed. King Mickey walked up to him now. "Your Majesty, it's good to see you again."

"Well gosh, Sora it's good to see you're okay too. I got a little worried when Master Yen Sid told me you still hadn't returned from the Realm of Sleep the other day. But now your back, so we can finally begin our plans. Speaking of which, Master Yen Sid.. It's time we explain to everyone here about the plan."

"Very well," Master Yen Sid said, "Now, I explained to Riku yesterday that I sensed the movement of darkness among the worlds. It must be Xehanort and his forces, it's the only logical explanation. That being said, we must prepare ourselves for the battles that will soon be waged. We need our seven guardians of light, and so far we have Sora, Riku, King Mickey, Kairi and Lea. That means we need two more and we already know who. Master Aqua and Ventus."

"I know them... But I've never met them," Sora said, trying to remember who these two Keybearers were.

"Their hearts are connected to yours, Sora," King Mickey explained, "Chances are you may have seen them during your time in the Realm of Sleep."

"I did..." Sora replied, still feeling a little unsure.

Master Yen Sid cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "Now with our plan. Only Master Aqua knows where Ventus resides, and she is in the Realm of Darkness. Riku and Mickey, since you have both braved the Dark Realm, I'm sending you two in to find her and bring her back. As for Kairi and Lea, you will both stay here to continue your training. Sora, Donald and Goofy, I want you to travel the worlds in search of a certain Keyblade that is said to hold immense power. It may be our only true hope of defeating Xehanort. Does everyone understand my instructions?"

Everyone nodded, though Kairi seemed a little annoyed she would have to stay and train while the others went out again. Lea saw this and whispered, "Don't worry, your time will come." She looked at him and nodded slowly.

"For the rest of the day, we will plan, rest, and prepare. Tomorrow we begin."

**End of Chapter:**

well that's two chapter down! I'm still looking for suggestions for the six remaining darknesses of Xehanort's organization, so either PM me or leave a review regarding that. I also love any other feedback whether it be positive or negative, so just leave a review telling me what you think so far (it also helps me make improvements as i continue the story). Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

_authors note: Wow I can't believe I've already gotten so many views in just two chapters! Thanks everyone, seeing that just inspires me to keep writing! I'd like to thank YamiChaos27 for his suggestion for Xehanort's Organization. It was also brought to my attention that Xigbar/Braig and Saix/Isa are keeping their Nobody names so I'll be doing that from now on. My other reviewer, who I hope sees this, was only under the name Guest. He/She also gave me some good suggestions that I plan on using at one point or another. So how bout we get this chapter properly started?_

**Chapter 3:**

"You wanted to see me Master?" Sora asked Master Yen Sid as he entered his office.

"Ah yes Sora, since you Donald and Goofy will be taking the ship to Radiant Garden later, I wanted to make sure you are ready for the trials ahead. I have re-modified your clothes that you used on your second journey. They look the same but the magic is different. In addition to your current Drive Forms, you will be able to use others that are specific to a certain situation. It will make more sense when you are out on the battlefield, fighting Heartless, Nobodies and whatever else Xehanort throws your way. But I have confidence in you, confidence in every single one of you in fact."

"Thank you Master," Sora replied.

"King Mickey and Riku are leaving in a few minutes to the Realm of Darkness. You Donald and Goofy will be leaving almost immediately after. I suggest you get your final preparations taken care of now," Master Yen Sid instructed.

"Right, I will," Sora said as he went to his room. He entered his room to see his new clothes already layed out for him. They looked exactly the same as his older clothes he had worn when taking on Organization XIII. However when he put them on he feel their power surging through him, and it felt good. He put on his necklace with the crown pendant he always had. He felt good, prepared and ready. He felt as though nothing would stop him now, not even Xehanort. He held his hand out and summoned his Keyblade, the Kingdom Key. This weapon had been with him since the beginning, and there was no doubt in Sora's mind that it would end with him as well.

Sora headed downstairs and outside to wish King Mickey and Riku good luck. The Realm of Darkness would not be an easy place to fight in. The forces of darkness are even stronger there, and without proper magic, a human there would literally become weaker and weaker the longer they were there. It was not a place for someone with a weak will to be in. He had to wonder if Master Aqua was even still alive, considering she had been there for so long. "She must truly be strong to last such a long time there," Sora said to himself. She was indeed strong, and soon he would see that too.

Sora stepped outside to see everyone standing around and talking. Both Riku and King Mickey were wearing some thick armor that covered almost their entire bodies. Not a bad idea considering where they were going. Sora walked up to Riku and put a hand on his shoulder. "Good luck, and come back alive... Both of you."

"I won't be around to save you when you get in trouble," Riku said jokingly.

"Well Riku, I think you know better than any of us that Sora won't need any saving," King Mickey chimed in.

"Aww phooey, what's that supposed to mean? Then he can go by himself to the other worlds and Goofy and I can stay here," Donald said crossing his arms in annoyance. Everyone started laughing which only proceeded to annoy Donald further. "Hey what's the big idea!?"

"Don't worry about it Donald," Sora laughed, "Besides, me you and Goofy have been traveling the worlds together since the beginning. It would just be weird not to continue it that way."

"That's right! All for and one for all, huh?" Goofy added in.

"You betchya Goofy!" Donald agreed.

"A-hem, I'm sorry to break up the laughter, but it is time to begin," Master Yen Sid said, emerging from his tower. "Mickey, I have the Star Piece ready."

"Oh good," Mickey said as Master Yen Sid handed him a small star-shaped gem that glowed in a bright yellow color. Mickey could see the confused faces on everyone else but Riku, wondering just what this Star Piece was. "Master Yen Sid forged this Star Piece with a very powerful light magic. Riku and I will be able to use it once and only once. After we find Master Aqua, we'll be able to use it to create a light portal that will take us back to the Realm of Light. To be even more specific, it'll take us to this very spot."

"Keep in mind Mickey, I also told you to use it if you and Riku are caught in a hopeless position," Master Yen Sid warned, "We can't afford to lose either of you."

"That isn't going to happen," Riku said, "Mickey and I have braved the Realm of Darkness before, like you said, and we're even stronger now than we were back then. We won't get caught Master, I promise."

"Your answer does not surprise me, Master Riku, but please do be careful in the Dark Realm. There are some things there that even I dare not speak of," Master Yen Sid warned once more. And with that he turned and reentered his tower, leaving everyone outside.

"He was never really one for pep talks huh?" Riku asked King Mickey.

"To be honest no, but he has guided all of through every storm we have encountered," Mickey answered. No one argued that. They all knew Master Yen Sid was both wise and powerful, it was unfortunate he now too old to fight. But they couldn't help but think how great of a warrior he had been during his days of fighting. "Well Riku, I guess it's time we should go," Mickey said interrupting the momentary silence."

"Right," Riku nodded, "Good luck everyone else, we'll be back with Master Aqua as soon a we can."

"Good luck," Sora said.

"Please... Be careful," Kairi added in.

Riku nodded as Mickey pulled out a dark gemstone and held it up. A dark portal opened in front of them and, without another word, they both stepped through. The portal closed behind them, leaving Sora, Donald, Goofy, Kairi, and Lea behind, only hoping they would return safely and with Master Aqua.

Finally it was Lea who broke the silence. "Sora, Donald, Goofy, I think you should go now too. We are already going against a clock remember?"

"Yeah, yeah your right," Sora said. "Guys let's go. Kairi and Lea, good luck with your training. I know you'll do great."

"You better come back as soon you are able to," Kairi said trying to hold back tears. It was hard for her, having to say goodbye and good luck to two people she cared for so much, not knowing if she would ever see either of them again.

"I promise," Sora said, giving Kairi a hug. Lea couldn't help but smirk a little and Donald gave him a smack on back of the head.

"Hey what was that for," he snapped, rubbing his head.

"Oh shut up," Donald laughed.

"Yeesh, take it easy will ya?" Lea said as he started laughing now.

Sora looked at Donald and Goofy, the determination back in his eyes. "Come on, let's go." They nodded and all went to their familiar Gummi Ship that had taken them to so many worlds in the past. The three friends hopped into the ship and Sora started up the engines. He took one last look at Master Yen Sid's tower, one last look at Kairi, before taking the ship into the air and flying off.

"I promise..." Sora thought to himself before the tower came out of sight.

**end of chapter:**

**Woo! That's three down! First off I wanna thank you, my readers for your support. My story already has so many views and it's only just been published. I've also received very good suggestions for plot ideas and members of Xehanorts Oeganization, so thanks for that. A quick shoutout to YamiChaos27 and Guest, for being the first I review and helping me out with a few questions, you guys are seriously awesome. If you have a few extra seconds, leave a review! Not only does it mean a ton to me that you took the time to give feedback, but I also love seeing your ideas and suggestions for the story! Chapter 4 will be up ASAP, and I promise that theirs plenty of action on the way! Also, if you see any obvious typos, please let me know as I dont always catch them. Thanks a ton for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

"So, Sora, where are we gonna go first?" Goofy asked Sora after a few minutes of flying the Gummi Ship.

"We're heading toward Radiant Garden, we'll start searching for this special Keyblade or whatever it is there," Sora answered.

"Hey that's means we'll see Leon and the gang again," Donald said excitedly.

"I wonder if Cloud is back... Or if he'll ever come back," Goofy said with some concern.

During their second adventure, Sora, Donald and Goofy had a small quarrel with Cloud's archnemisis, Sephiroth. Cloud also had a battle with Sephiroth and the two disappeared to another world. Neither has been seen since.

"Who knows.." Sora said, "But we aren't going there to see or look for Cloud, I have a feeling we'll run into him again eventually. What we need to do is tell Leon about our search for this weapon and warn him that the forces of darkness are going to be stronger than we've ever seen. We'll do that at every world we visit, but I just figured we'd start at Radiant Garden since we're so familiar with it." Neither Donald nor Goofy disagreed. After several more minutes of flying, they could see Radiant Garden in site. "Nice, we're here already. Let's just hope we got here before any of Xehanort's forces could," Sora said as he brought the ship down for a landing on the city outskirts.

The three friends walked to the market district where they saw a familiar face.

"Uncle Scrooge!" Donald exclaimed as he ran up and gave his uncle a hug.

"Ohoho, easy Donald, your going to break one of my old ribs lad!" the old tycoon duck gasped. When Doanld finally let go of him, Scrooge readjusted himself before speaking. "It's good to see you lads again. So tell me, what brings you here?"

"We wish. We could come here under better circumstances," Sora said, "But it seems the forces of darkness are at it again. We're here to worn Leon and the others that there are going to be more enemies than ever before here soon. They need to be ready, in order to keep Xehanort from engulfing Radiant Garden in darkness."

"Xehanort?" Scrooge said with some confusion.

"Long story short, he's the baddest, most evil guy we've ever fought," Donald said matter of factly.

"Ah, understood," Scrooge said, "and if you boys are looking for Leon and the others, they should be ar Merlin's house in the borough."

"Merlin's place, alright thanks Scrooge, we'll see you around," Sora said.

"Yes, yes of course, glad I could help. Good luck with your missions lads," Scrooge said as he walked back to his shop.

The three friends continued on to the borough and towards Merlin's house. They were glad to see that the old Hollow Bastion Restoration Commitee, now the Radiant Garden Restoration Commitee, was continuing their devotion to fixing the town up. There were more houses all around the borough now and some of the large, ugly cranes were no where in site, meaning their use had been fulfilled. Hopefully things would only continue to get better for Radiant Garden, and perhaps preparing for the worst was the only way to that.

The three friends reached Merlin's house and Sora knocked on the door. It opened and Yuffie greeted them at the door. "Well, well, if ain't Sora, Donald, and Goofy. What brings you three here?"

"Yuffie, it's good to see you again," Sora began, "And we're here to deliver some news. Xehanort is back, and he's stronger than ever. There's going to be more Heartless and Nobodies than we've ever encountered. According to Master Yen Sid, they're already on the move in some worlds, and now we need to make sure the worlds are ready to defend themselves."

"So it seems things are never going to be easy," Yuffie said, "But with Squall in charge here, I have a feeling we'll be fine."

"For the last time, can you not call me Squall..." Leon said as he emerged into the doorway.

"Leon!" Sora said, happy to see his old friend once again.

"Good to see you guys again, and you don't need to explain why you're here. I heard what you said to Yuffie. I had a feeling something was seriously wrong, just a feeling I my gut, but it proved to be right," Leon said. "I can assure you we'll be ready here, for whatever comes our way."

"And that's not all, we-" Sora was cut off by Cid.

"Hey Leon, the grid here shows a large number of Heartless just past the Crystal Fissure!" Cid yelled out from his seat at the computer.

"Sora, you ready for a little action?" Leon asked with a smile.

Sora punched his fist into his open palm. "You know it."

Sora, Leon, Donald, and Goofy quickly made their way to the Crystal Fissure. Along the way they met the occasional small groups of Heartless, nothing they couldn't handle. It wasn't until they exited the Crystal Fissure that they were taken aback a little. There were at least two hundred Shadows and Neoshadows but also a few Behemoths as well. Sora summoned his Keyblade and and a had a slight smirk on his face. It had been some time since he had taken on any Heartless at all, not to mention this many in number. He hadn't seen so many Heartless since he had fought one thousand of them, in the same spot too. The only difference was there were much stronger Heartless here now, but the challenge only made him that much more determined. "Let's do this," he said running out to the waves of enemies. Leon, Donald and Goofy were right behind him.

Sora met a group of Shadows head on, taking them out with several swings of the Kingdom Key. Leon shot a fireball from his sword that hit another group of Heartless. The ball dispersed into flames in all directions, setting many Heartless on fire before they disappeared into clouds of darkness. Donald used his thunder magic to shoot bolts of lightning all around. Goofy took his shield and began bashing more Heartless, using the shields sturdiness and durability to his advantage.

This lasted for several minutes before Sora decided to use his Drive Form powers. He drew in energy and yelled out, "Give me strength!" As his clothes turned red and black. Red lightning shimmered all around his hands and he now held Star Seeker in his left hand in addition to Kingdom Key in his right. Now in Valor Form, he had an extra boost in strength and speed. He cut through groups of the weak Shadows and Neoshadows like a knife through butter, small clouds of darkness popping up as each Heartless was struck down. He then came face to face with a Behemoth And sprinted toward it. Avoiding its massive feet he got under it and began slashing at its stomach as he ran by. Sora came out from right behind it and did a backflip onto the Behemoth's back. He carefully walked to its head, making sure to keep his balance, and stabbed both Keyblade's into the monster's head. It cried out in pain before collapsing to the ground and dispersing into darkness.

Sora turned around to see his friends taking care of the remaining Heartless. He felt some sort of dark presence just past his current position. Knowing the others could handle the remainder of this fight, he went to investigate. He ran towards the Dark Depths, where Maleficent had been resurrected by Pete. He could see a single person in a black coat standing near the cliffs edge. Sora got into his battle stance. "Who are you!?" He demanded an answer.

The figure turned and removed his hood. Sora saw a familiar face staring back at him. An emotionless one too. Xemnas, the Nobody of Xehanort. "It has been some time since I have seen you," Xemnas spoke slowly. "If I remember correctly, it was when you almost lost your heart to Master Xehanort."

"'Almost' being the key word," Sora said, still in his battle stance. He was making sure he was ready for any of Xemnas' tricks.

At this time, however, Xemnas had no actions, only words. "Know this... What you search for is closer than you may think. And it will only draw you closed to oblivion.."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked with caution.

"You will soon find out, or perhaps you will not," Xemnas said before opening a dark portal and stepping through.

"Wait!" Sora yelled, but he was already gone. "What in the world did he mean by that?" Sora asked himself. Only time would tell.

**In the Realm of Darkness:**

****Riku landed on his feet as the large Darkside Heartless dispersed in a cloud of darkness. King Mickey walked over to him. "You alright, Riku?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's just, they're so much stronger now than when were here before. It's tough," Riku answered.

"Well keep in mind that the forces of darkness are much stronger now that Xehanort is back," King Mickey explained.

"I just wish we knew where Aqua was," Riku said.

"Don't worry, we'll find her, I know we will," King Mickey said. "But right now, it looks like we have more company."

Riku turned to see more Heartless charging at them. He sighed and got into his battle stance, ready to take on the attackers once again.

**end of chapter:****  
**

**Sorry for the time between the last update and this one, I've been rather busy lately. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter, I had fun writing it. I mentioned in a previous chapter that Sora has new Drive Forms in addition to Valor, Wisdom, Master and Final. I'm taking suggestions for new Drive Forms, so if you have any ideas for one them shoot me a PM or leave a review regarding that. Also please review with some basic feedback as it is always appreciated. If there's any typos let me know as well. Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Sora, Donald and Goofy had spent the night at a small inn in the borough near Merlin's house. Since they were members of the Radiant Garden Restoration Commitee (not to mention they had helped save Radiant Garden more then once) they were able to stay free of charge for the night. The next morning Sora met up with Leon at the castle.

They met just outside the castle and talked as they walked to Ansem the Wise's lab. "So Leon, how have things been around here? I mean with like Heartless and Nobodies?" Sora asked Leon.

"Thanks to you, not nearly as bad as before," Leon answered. "But answer me honestly... What's really coming? Do we even stand a chance?"

Sora hesitated a little before answering. Even he didn't know exactly who Xehanort was. He has never actually encountered him except for that time in the Realm of Sleep, when Xehanort tried to take his heart. But he wasn't conscious for that. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was fighting Xemnas, then he woke up in Master Yen Sid's tower. "Well... Xehanort is going to be stronger than anything or anyone we've ever faced before. Not to mention the fact that both Ansem and Xemnas are back too. It was tough enough fighting those two alone and now they're both here plus Xehanort is much tougher than both of them combined. You want me to be honest and I will. It's going to be tougher than ever before... But if we all stick together, we can beat him, I know we can."

"That's the answer I was expecting," Leon said with a smile.

The two friends walked on to Ansem the Wise's study. Sora wanted to look for any news he could find regarding this special Keyblade he was tasked to find. As they entered the lab Sora looked at the all the machines and the large portal that took Donald, Goofy and himself to the Grid, where Tron lived. He smiled as thought of how they had stood side by side and defeated the Master Computer. Then he saddened as he thought how Tron had turned into Rinzler, and he was forced to fight him. Sora looked at his right hand for a moment. "He reached for my hand," he thought to himself. He knew that Tron was still in there, because even though he is technically data, he still had a heart.

"Sora, I'm gonna go look around a little, to make sure no one is sneaking around places they shouldn't be," Leon informed Sora.

"Alright I shouldn't be more than a few minutes," Sora said.

Leon left the lab and Sora began typing keys in the computers database. First he looked up "X-Blade" and what he saw was nothing Master Yen Sid had already told him about. It was arguably the most powerful of all Keyblades, made of light and dark, and it had the power to unlock and open or lock Kingdom Hearts. The real Kingdom Hearts, the one that hadn't been seen in a very long time. It was lost in darkness after people began fighting over the light so many years ago. At least that's the story that Kairi's grandmother had always told her.

Sora closed that page and opened a folder simply titled "Keyblades." There were pages on many different known Keyblades, including Sora's, Riku's, and King Mickeys. There was one folder that peaked Sora's interest. Under the code name "Key of Heart" Sora opened up the link and read the information. There was only a few sentences and they read: "I know very little of this Keyblade, only that it may not be a physical weapon itself. Crazy I know, but my current research leaves that as the only option. But if not a an actual Keyblade, then what?"

There was no more written on it. This was certainly interesting. A Keyblade... That isn't an actual Keyblade. "I wonder what this could mean... Maybe it's what we're searching for. I don't know, only time will tell I suppose," Sora said to himself. He decided he was finished on the computer and walked outside to see Leon swinging his sword at a Dusk Nobody. "Leon! You alright?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, just a few little grunts," Leon said cooly, "I did see some weird raven that looked as if it were spying or something though."

"Maleficent... She's plotting something, and I wouldn't be surprised if it was with Xehanort. She's been helping him from the very beginning," Sora said.

"So we need to be ready for just about anything," Leon concluded.

**Master Yen Sid's Tower:**

"Again," Master Yen Sid ordered Kairi and Lea, who were sparring once more.

"Oh man, can't we take a break," Lea said tiredly. They had been training nonstop all morning. Sweat was pouring from their heads and blood secreted out of the occasional small wound sustained through training.

"I can assure you that you will not be able to 'take a break' against Xehanort," Master Yen Sid said.

"He's right Lea, we can keep going a little longer," Kairi said getting into her battle stance.

"I hate it when he's right," Lea said as he got into his own stance.

Kairi charged at Lea and swung her Keyblade at him. The two locked their Keyblades and attempted to push the other back. Lea got the advantage and forced Kairi backward. She regained her balance and then fired a burst of light at Lea. Since she was a Princess of Heart, her light magic was far more powerful than a normal Keybearer's. Lea knew this to and wisely dodged the magic attack rather than try to block it or deflect it. He quickly countered by engulfing his Keyblade in flames and sending small waves of fire at Kairi. She summoned a barrier of light to deflect the flames and then leapt high in the air. She landed right behind Lea, who was just able to raise his Keyblade and deflect her attack. The two exchanged blows back and forth, each one blocking the others attacks.

Lea had to admit that Kairi was making incredible progress in her short time of training. He, an experienced fighter for some time, was actually having trouble defending himself from Kairi's attacks. She had come so far in so little time. Her training was paying off there was no doubt about that.

After several more minutes of competitive sparring, Master Yen Sid called for them to halt. "Enough. You can both take a break, we'll resume this later. For now get something to eat, and relax. I will be in my study if either of you need me."

Kairi and Lea both relaxed and let they're Keyblades disappear. "Not bad kid," Lea said.

"I almost had you this time," Kairi said, still catching her breath.

"I suppose so," Lea said, "Cause I took it easy on you."

"No you didn't!" Kairi snapped. She knew Lea was simply joking around but she still couldn't help getting a little emotional.

"Alright, alright, you caught me," Lea laughed.

Up in his tower's study, Master Yen Sid could sense darkness on the move yet again. He could sense a far away world was just lost in darkness. Unfortunate yes, but if Xehanort is defeated, any worlds lost would be restored. Without sacrifice, there could be no victory. That was something Master Yen Sid learned a long time ago...

**end of chapter:**

**Sorry this took so long to update. Once the winter season rolls around I will have A LOT more time to write and updates will come more frequently. That being said... How are you liking the story so far? Good? Bad? Leave a review and let me know as I look into all feedback and suggestions and they are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**authors note: So several of you have said that my last chapter was way too short... And I agree 100%. I should do my best to deliver chapters filled with quality and quantity. I'll do my best to make sure that future chapters will be around 2,000-3,000 words long. So from now I'll try and make that happen. I do have to ask that you be a little patient with me as I remind you that I won't have that much free time to write until the winter season begins. So with that being said, let's get chapter 6 underway!**

**The Realm of Darkness:**

"Riku look out!" King Mickey yelled a warning to Riku as a large flying Heartless swooped down from above. Riku jumped out of the way and summoned his Keyblade. He eyed this new enemy across from him. This was a Heartless neither he nor Mickey had ever seen before. It was as large as a Darkside and was the same dark purple and black colors as other natural Heartless. The same pale golden eyes as well. It also had large wings that resembled that of splattered ink on a piece of paper. It stared at King Mickey and Riku intently, as if it were studying them. Or perhaps it was just planning its attack, they couldn't tell.

"What should we do?" Riku asked Mickey.

"Wait for it to make a move," Mickey answered, "We've never seen one like this before so we have to play this out carefully."

So they waited, and to this Heartless' credit, it stayed in its place, as if it were doing the same thing Mickey and Riku were doing: wait for the enemy to make a move. Suddenly it launched high in the air and fired a black flame from its mouth. Riku and Mickey dodged the fire, but could still feel its intense heat as it blew by them. The Heartless took the opening and dove towards Mickey with its black jaws wide open. It attempted to grab Mickey but Mickey jumped out of the way and blasted light towards it, temporarily blinding it. Riku now jumped in and slashed at the Heartless' side. It leapt back in obvious pain, and then stared back at them once again. Then it eased and flew into the air and down into one of the many dark abysses. It didn't come back.

"What the hell? Never seen a Heartless do that," Riku said.

"It was like it was testing us... Hmmm, it seems as the darkness grows stronger with Xehanort's coming, the Heartless are getting both tougher and smarter," Mickey said.

"Let's just hope we don't run into anymore like that one," Riku said, letting his Keyblade disappear.

"I agree, but unfortunately I think that's impossible," Mickey concluded, "But we have to keep moving."

"Where do you think she might be?" Riku asked.

"To be honest Riku, I really don't know, but that doesn't mean we can give up," Mickey said.

"If only Sora were here, he'd be going on and on about how we'll find her in no time at all," Riku said with a smile.

Mickey laughed a little. "Well you know Sora, he's always been like that."

"Yeah... I wonder how he, Donald and Goofy are doing," Riku said, thinking about how his friends were faring on their journey.

"I'm sure they're fine... Wherever they are now," Mickey added in.

The two friends kept walking on the linear path in front of them. On both sides of the road were pools of nearly pitch black water. Both agreed they wanted no part in that water. So far it seemed that their entire time in the Realm of Darkness was in some sort of cave, which only added to the creepiness. They felt as though they were being watched at all times, and this assumption was justified by the almost constant ambushes they encountered. They weren't anything the two Masters couldn't handle, but it did add to Mickey's theory that perhaps the Heartless were literally testing their strength. As they walked deeper into the cave, the walls seemed to become narrower.

"I don't like this," Riku said.

"I agree, we're too vulnerable here, let's pick up the pace," Mickey responded.

The two began running at a jogging pace through the tunnel. Suddenly the nathrow tunnel gave way to a large room that was clearly cut out and built in this cave on purpose. It really resembled that of a fair sized arena. But who could have built this, and for what purpose?

"What the hell is this?" Riku said as he looked up in awe at the impressive height if the cieling.

"The Shadow Colloseum," thee voice said as it appeared from a dark corridor across the room. The figure was wearing a black with the hood up.

"I know that voice..." Riku said, "It's been sometime since we last see each other... Ansem."

The figure removed his hood to reveal that, sure enough, it was Ansem. "Here you are now, in the Realm of Darkness, where pure darkness resides. You must feel right at home, boy."

"I walk the path to dawn," Riku said summoning his Keyblade.

"Yes I have heard you say that before, but do you truly mean it?" Ansem said deceitfully.

"He does, now get out of our way," Mickey said, stepping forward. Ansem was standing in the way of the one door out of this room, directly in Riku and Mickey's path.

"You will have to make me. Come guardian!" Ansem yelled out as his shadowy guardian appeared directly behind him.

Mickey was about to jump in but Riku dashed right by him first. Mickey knew of Riku's hatred for Ansem. He had tricked Riku into giving in to the darkness and bringing harm to his friends. He had haunted Riku ever since and wouldn't stop until he was defeated.

Riku slashed at Ansem, who calmly glided backward and let his guardian deflect the blow. Ansem grinned evily and crossed his arms as the dark guardian clawed at Riku with its dark hands. Riku dodged the attack, then slahsed the guardian in the arm. It grabbed its arm in obvious pain before shooting dark discs at Riku and Mickey. They dodged them and Mickey was able to deflect one back in Ansem's direction. Ansem smirked and slapped the disc away with his hand.

"Is that the best you two have to throw at me?" Ansem laughed mockingly.

"No," Riku said defiantly. He held his Keyblade out and it began to glow in a swirl of gray. The blade suddenly grew double in length and was shining in a gray and platinum like color. It was one of his Dream Eater powers he had retained from his time in the Realm of Sleep. His Keyblade not only grew bigger, but it also gave him an extra boost in strength. He charged at Ansem and his dark guardian and swung his stronger weapon. He was met by the dark guardian who attempted to swipe at Riku but missed. Riku, seeing the opening, swung his Keyblade at the guardian, who took each hit directly. The guardian quickly retreaded to Ansem's side as Riku pressed his attack on. Ansem smirked as he brought up a shield of darkness to stop Riku's attack.

"It will take more than that to phase me," Ansem said.

Suddenly Mickey jumped in and, with his Keyblade shining in pure light, cut right through Ansem's shield. "And it will take more than that to stop us," Mickey said as he landed on the ground.

Ansem stepped back, more annoyed than anything else that Mickey had cut through his shield. Then he began to laugh. "If only you fools knew what was coming, then you would probably just give up," he mocked.

"It doesn't matter what happens, we'll never give up. None of us will," Mickey said as he stared at Ansem.

"He's right, and nothing you say will change that, Ansem," Riku chimed in.

"And you, you stupid boy, do you really believe you have destroyed your link to the darkness? Because if you do, then you are dumber than I thought," Ansem said.

"My tie to the darkness and my tie to you is broken Ansem. Don't try to keep convincing me otherwise because it won't work," Riku said angrily.

"He's right Ansem, you have no control over him anymore," Mickey added in.

"Believe what you will, but you will see the truth soon enough. You can not even begin to fathom what is coming. You will all fall to darkness in the end," Ansem said, still smirking. He stepped back as a dark portal opened behind him and he disappeared through it.

"Well that doesn't sound good," Riku said as he relaxed and got out of his battle stance.

"He's probably just trying to mess with our heads," Mickey said, "I wouldn't believe everything he just said."

"Yeah, your probably right," Riku said.

But still, he wasn't that sure.

**Radiant Garden:**

"When do you think you'll be back?" Leon asked Sora as they approached the Gummi Ship.

"Not sure really, it really depends on what happens around the worlds and if we find what we're searching for," Sora answered.

"Well if you ever need anything at all, you know where to find us," Leon said.

"Thanks Leon," Sora replied.

Cid walked up to Sora with a big grin on his face. "Hey kid! Just letting you know that I added a new Gummi Block to your ship. It'll give ya a boost in speed so travelin' around the worlds won't take as long."

"Nice, thanks Cid, that'll be really helpful," Sora said.

"Ahhh don't mention it, and good luck," Cid said. He turned and walked back to the town before Sora could even say anything more to him.

"Good luck Sora," Leon said. He and Sora shook hands and Leon walked back to town.

Sora got into the Gummi Ship and sat down in his seat. "You guys ready to go?" he asked Donald and Goofy as he prepared the ship for take off.

"Yep," Donald said.

"A-hyuck, let's go!" Goofy said excitedly.

Sora started up the engines and took the ship into the air. He took one more look at the town and the large castle before taking the ship towards another world.

Where to? Only time would tell.

After several minutes of flying, Sora could tell they were making great progress, thanks to Cid's speed upgrade to the ship. Soon a world came into sight. Sora brought the ship down and turned off the engines.

The three friends stepped out to find themselves in a small wooded area with a large palace in sight. The palace was built with a style that the three friends had seen before. They were in the Land of Dragons, Mulan's home world.

"I wonder how Mulan is doing?" Donald pondered his thoughts out loud.

"Only one way to find out, let's head to the palace," Sora said.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy began walking towards the direction of the palace and reached a small village. There was a small fire coming from a house and several screams could also be heard. Suddenly two houses that were side by side exploded at the same time causing more chaos to ensue. Sora ran in to several Heartless whose bodies were cannon like. They were clearly the cause of the explosion. Sora struck them down easily but was then thrown off his feet by one of the larger Stealth Sneak Heartless that had just taken away its camouflage. He was surprised to see this type of Heartless since he hadn't seen one since his time in Deep Jungle with Tarzan.

Sora got back onto his feet and activated his Drive Form powers. His hands shimmered in red lightning and his clothes turned red and black as e entered Valor Form. Star Seeker formed in his left hand and charged at the Stealth Sneak. He jumped onto its back, dodging a claw of the Stealth Sneak at the same time. He took Star Seeker and dug it deep into the Heartless' back causing it to lurch around in pain. Sora was flung off of its back but was able to land on his feet. Star Seeker was still in the Stealth Sneak's back. Sora was about to charge again when Donald suddenly came in and unleashed a powerful lightning attack. The Heartless was struck by the lightning with incredible power. It cried out in pain before collapsing to the ground. It slowly dispersed and a lone heart came out and floated to the sky, a familiar sight when a Heartless was defeated.

"Good one," Sora said to Donald as he reverted to his normal form. Something suddenly caught his eye. On a nearby rooftop a lone hawk was watching them. It let out a loud shrill before flying off and out of site. Sora knew that hawk, and seeing it now only meant one thing. Shan-Yu was back.

**end of chapter:**

**Well this clocked in at about 2,200 words so I'm off to a good start. Hope you liked this chapter, I wanted to give Riku and Mickey more time in the spotlight. one thing I want to clear up real quick. I do not have any intentions on using a Marvel themed world for this story, so I apologize to anyone disappointed for that. I do however plan on using a Star Wars type "world" although that "world" would be the galaxy within the Star Wars saga. I'm going to center the time here on either Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, or Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. I'm leaving it up to you the readers on what I will do. So leave your opinion about that in a review. Also, leave. A review just giving me feedback as it is ALWAYS appreciated and I really do take all feedback and suggestions into consideration for future chapters. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Sora, Donald, and Goofy continued their trek to the imperial palace after fighting off the Heartless in the village. That hawk they had seen was no doubt Shan-Yu's. And if he was indeed back, then he was an immediate threat that needed to be taken care of. In their first encounter with Shan-Yu, Sora, Donald, and Goofy knew all too well that he could use the power of darkness and could also control the Heartless to some small extent. So it would be a necessity to eliminate him as fast as possible, to ensure the safety of the Land of Dragons.

"So where we heading to now? The palace?" Goofy asked as the three friends walked down a small path. On both sides of the narrow walkway there was bamboo trees and branches all over. It would be a horribly bad time for anyone to use a fire spell, the three friends agreed.

"That's right," Sora said, "If they don't know already, we need to tell Mulan and the Emperor of Shan Yu's return. That way we can all figure out a way to get rid of him for good."

"Aww phooey, why is it whenever we beat someone, they seem to always come back stronger than before?" Donald said in annoyance.

"Well y'know it don't matter, cause we'll take 'em out again, right fellas?" Goofy said.

"Yeah, exactly," Sora said. Although he had to admit that Donald was right. And from what Mickey told him about Xehanort, it seems that he shouldn't even be back, and that the fact that he is back is very alarming. With all his powers he could probably bring others back that Sora had defeated before. Maybe Shan Yu's return was Xehanort's doing?"

"Hey Sora wake up!" Donald said, snapping Sora out of his train of thought.

They had reached a checkpoint on the way to the imperial palace and were stopped by two imperial guards. "What is your business at the palace?" One of them asked.

"We're Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The Emperor knows us and we have urgent news to share with him," Sora explained.

The other guard was nodding his head. "Ah yes the heroes of China alongside Mulan who defeated Shan-Yu! I remember you well! You may pass, please."

"Thank you," Sora said. The three friends reached the imperial city and climbed the long set of stairs to the palace. Another set of guards was at the gates and was about to question them when a voice came from behind.

"Don't worry men, they're friendlies," the voice said.

Sora turned to see the imperial army's Captain Shang. "Captain!" Sora exclaimed, happy to see his friend.

"Good to see you soldiers again," Shang said happily. Then he grew curious. "So what brings you three back to China?"

"Oh well, we're sort of on a mission of our own to find a certain weapon and protect the worlds from darkness. We came here to see how things were and our timing was very good. Heartless were attacking a small village and after we took them out, I saw Shan-Yu's hawk. That can only mean that he's back," Sora explained.

"So the rumors are true," Shang said sadly, "We thought he was gone for good. But there have been attacks on several small villages these last few weeks and it seems my worries were for good reason. Come inside, we can discuss this more with the Emperor."

"Yeah sure, but where's Mulan?" Sora asked. He was surprised they had yet to see her.

"She's also inside, so you will see her as well," Shang explained.

Inside the throne room now, Sora explained to the Emperor what he had just said to Shang outside. "And that's everything your majesty," he finished.

"Ah so it seems our greatest threat has returned," the Emperor said," Captain Shang, gather your men. We will make sure Shan-Yu will harm no one else."

"Yes sir!" Shang said. He turned to Sora now. "I must go, please tell Mulan I will see her soon. Perhaps we will meet on the battlefield once more."

"Yeah, you bet," Sora said.

Shang had just left the room when Mulan entered through another door. "Your majesty, where is Shang goi-" She stopped when she saw her three old friends. She ran over to them and said, "Sora, Donald, and Goofy! It's great to see you again! I take your still adventuring around?"

"That's one way to describe it," Donald said.

"I apologize for breaking up this friendly reunion, but, Fa Mulan, you must know that Shan-Yu has returned and Captain Shang had just left to repel him."

"I had a bad feeling about those village attacks... Looks like my hunch was right," Mulan sighed.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him, just like before," Sora said, putting a hand on Mulan's shoulder.

"Hey! Mulan where'd you go?" A familiar voice said as it entered the room.

"I'm over here Mushu, and look who's back," Mulan answered.

"Hey what's up guys? Glad to see your back! So uhh what's going on?" Mushu asked.

"Shan-Yu has returned," the Emperor said.

"S-Shan-Yu?!" Mushu yelled out. "I mean uh.. Oh whatever, I can take him!" Mushu raised his hands like a boxer and threw a few mock punches.

"Oh brother," Donald sighed.

"Hey what's that supposed to mean?" Mushu said angrily.

"Nothing, come on guys let's go look around and see what we can find," Sora laughed.

"We're coming too," Mulan said.

"Ok then, let's move," Sora said.

**Master Yen Sid's tower:**

"It seems Sora has reached the Land of Dragons," Master Yen Sid said to himself. He knew Sora and the others would move around quickly to other worlds. He just wished he could sense where in the Realm of Darkness Riku and Mickey were. As powerful as he was, even he could not find them in that dark place. "I should see how Kairi and Lea are doing and inform them of their mission," the old master said as he got up from his seat and headed outside.

Kairi and Lea had just finished a sparring session and, for the moment, we're taking a break. They stood up as they saw Master Yen Sid coming towards them.

"I trust you two are making good progress?" Master Yen Sid asked.

"Yes Master," Kairi said.

"She's getting better Master, at a very fast rate too," Lea said.

"That is good news indeed, considering I have a small mission for you two," Master Yen Sid said.

"Really?!" Kairi said excitedly.

"Yes. I have a message here that I would like delivered to Disney Castle right away. This letter contains secrets for Queen Minnie that she must receive. They contain magic spells that can be used to protect the castle," Master Yen Sid explained.

"So when can we head out?" Lea asked.

"Immediately, I already have a ship ready for you," Master Yen Sid answered, "Here take this, it's the parchment with the information inside. Do not open it and give it only to Queen Minnie, understand?"

"Yes Master, we won't let you down," Kairi said taking the letter. "Let's go Lea!" She said excitedly again. She was happy to finally do something productive, even if it was a simple delivery. It felt good to be helping with the effort against Xehanort, no matter how small that help was.

Kairi and Lea got into the ship. It was a similar Gummi Ship to the one Sora, Donald, and Goofy had left in just a few days before, but this one was a little smaller. Lea sat in the drivers seat and turned on the engines. He grabbed the steering wheel and brought the ship up. He turned on the navigation systems and plugged in the coordinates for Disney Castle. "Hold on," he warned Kairi before shooting the ship into the sky and towards their destination.

They landed their small ship in the Disney Castle garden and got out. The Gummi engineers, Chip and Dale, met them in the garden.

"Heya fellas, on an important mission?" Chip asked in his squeaky voice.

"That's right, we have a delivery to make to Queen Minnie," Kairi answered.

"Oh then you can find her in the library," Dale informed them.

"The library... Alright thanks guys," Kairi said. She looked at Lea and noticed he was looking at one of the castle walls rather curiously. "What's the matter?"

"Oh uhh... Nothing, I just spaced out a little. Let's head out," he replied quickly. He kept saying to himself that he was only imagining it, but he could have sworn he had seen a Nobody on one of the castles balconies. He told himself to be ready for anything.

Kairi and Lea made their way to the castles library, where Queen Minnie awaited them. They reached the library and entered. Queen Minnie was sitting at a desk and reading a book. There was a writing quill and many papers on the desk as well. Minnie looked up. "Oh hello! Good to see you again Lea, I never properly thanked you for helping us when Pete and Maleficent attacked the castle."

"Don't mention it, just doing my part," Lea said waving a hand aside.

"Master Yen Sid told me that you had a delivery for me?" Minnie asked.

"Oh yeah, I have if right here!" Kairi said pulling out the letter.

Minnie took it and opened it. She nodded as she read it and looked up at them after reading all its contents. "This will be extremely helpful with protecting the castle. Please tell Master Yen Sid he has my utmost gratitude. And thank you two, for bringing it here."

"Hey no sweat," Lea said cooly.

"Your welcome," Kairi said, rolling her eyes at Lea.

Suddenly Daisy bursted into the library in a panic. "Minnie, there are these strange white creatures attacking the garden!"

"I knew it!" Lea snapped, "Kairi, time for some action. Are you ready for this?"

"Yes. I am," Kairi said. Her eyes narrowed as she summoned her Keyblade. "Lead the way, I'm right behind you."

"Your majesty, stay here and we'll take care of the Nobodies," Lea instructed Queen Minnie.

"Right, good luck," Minnie said.

Lea and Kairi ran outside and to be met by several dozen Nobodies. They were mostly dusks but there were also a few of the samurai like Nobodies as well. Lea ran towards a group of Dusks, firing waves of flames at them. The attacks hit the spot and many of the Dusks were taken out almost immediately. As he got closer, Lea began swinging his Keyblade, sending arcs of flame out of it with each swing.

Kairi was right behind him, using her light magic to take out the Nobodies from a distance. She then met one of the samurai Nobodies head on and she blocked the attacks of its swords with relative ease. Her training was clearly paying off as she was able to keep up with the Nobody's attacks with little effort. She then counter attacked and with a quick combo she took out the Nobody and it disappeared in a quick flash. She turned to see another Nobody sneaking behind Lea, who was busy with another group of Dusks. She quickly gathered in energy to her Keyblade and sent out a small burst of light. The light hit the Nobody directly and killed it instantly. Lea turned as the Nobody dispersed and he smiled as he saw that Kairi had his back. Her progress was amazing he knew that, and here in combat she was showing signs that she could only progress further.

Lea turned back to take on a few more weak Nobodies and Kairi did the same on the other side of the garden. The remaining Nobodies were nothing more than weak Dusks and the two Keybearers had no problem with them whatsoever. When they were all taken out, Lea and Kairi met up in the center of the garden.

"Well that was unexpected, but we took care of them. You alright?" Lea asked Kairi.

"I was about to ask you that," Kairi laughed.

"Thank goodness you're both okay!" Minnie ran outside and towards them.

"No sweat, that was no problem at all," Lea said.

"Well either way, thanks to Master Yen Sid's letter, we'll be able to set up magic barriers to keep all attackers at bay, no matter how big or tough. This may have been a small attack, but who knows what would happen in the future if the castle remained vulnerable," Minnie said quickly.

"That's good, better to be safe than sorry," Kairi said.

"Thank you, both of you. Thanks to you we're all safe. And please tell Master Yen Sid I can't thank him enough," Minnie said happily.

"We will. Speaking of that, Kairi, we should head back to Master Yen Sid and tell him we were successful," Lea said.

"Yeah that sounds good. I hope he'll be as happy I am about this!" Kairi said excitedly.

"I'm sure he will be," Lea laughed. Then to Minnie he said, "Your majesty, it's time for Kairi and I to go. You and the others here will be safe?"

"Yes, once I get the barriers up everything here will be fine. Thank you again," Minnie said before walking back inside.

"Alright, Kairi, let's head back," Lea said.

"Right behind you!" Kairi replied.

The two friends hopped into their ship and flew off, back to Master Yen Sid.

**Back in the Land of Dragons:**

"I know it was Shan-Yu... I saw those evil eyes," the villager said timidly. Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Mulan were investigating another attack on a village a few miles away from the imperial palace. "He was... He was right over there near the top of that hill while dark monsters attacked the village. I think he saw you were coming this way and he and the dark monsters retreated back towards the mountain."

"It's all over now," Mulan said assuringly, "If you and any other villager here need a place to stay, go around and tell them that the palace has some vacant space and can help you."

"Oh bless you, Fa Mulan! Your kindness sees no end!" The villager exclaimed.

"I'm just doing my part, and I can assure you that we will get rid of Shan-Yu," Mulan said. "Now go, be safe." The villager nodded and ran off towards the other villagers to inform them of what Mulan had just said.

Sora looked over in the direction of the mountain. The snow was visible from their current position. He smiled a little as he remembered fighting Riku up there when Riku was still in Ansem's body. His friend seemed to be all over the place and helping him nonstop during that journey. He snapped himself out of the past memories and looked toward his friends. "Seems the mountain is our next place to search, right?"

"That's right, that's exactly where we're going," Mulan said.

"Alright then, let's go," Sora said with a look of determination on his face.

**end of chapter:**

**11/14/13-Well I hope you enjoyed this one. I certainly did, and I hope you liked that I have Lea and Kairi some spotlight. They deserve it. A few points. I probably will not be doing any star wars related chapters. Sorry but I just can't think of any good way to set it up and implement the KH characters into the Star Wars plot. Also, I've mentioned more than once that I'll have more time to write during the winter season. Well now I'm not sure how much time I will have. Either way, I'll make sure to update at least once a week with a good quaility chapter. As always thanks a ton for reading, leave a review, and give me the heads up on any typos I may have missed. Hope your ready for the showdown with Shan-Yu next chapter! Thanks again!**


	8. Chapter 8

**authors note: I meant to say this last chapter, but I can do it now. Shoutout to Silent Type Delta and YamiChaos27 for their helpful reviews and for answering questions I had. And thanks to everyone for the support and reading. I've surpassed 1,100 views now, and that's huge to me and just makes me want to write even more. So let's get chapter 8 started!**

**The Land of Dragons:**

Sora, Mulan, Donald, and Goofy had just reached the base of the mountain where Shan-Yu had allegedly been hiding in. Sora looked up in awe at the size of the mountain, with its snow covered peak. He was surprised that Shan-Yu would pick a hostile terrain such as this to fortify himself at. At the same time, since he was a Hun, this type of terrain probably didn't even bother him. In fact he probably relished in that type of area, using the cold to his advantage. That didn't matter now though. One way or another, Sora and his friends would have to defeat him to ensure the safety of the Land of Dragon, the safety of all the worlds in fact.

"It seems we'll have to fight our way up until we find Shan-Yu," Mulan said.

"Just like before," Sora added in.

"No problem, we did it mode before and we can do it again!" Donald said as he pulled out his magical staff.

"What are we waiting for then," Sora said, going into a fast run up towards the mountain. The others quickly followed behind him. Luckily, the path up the mountain wasn't too steep and there was barely any snow on ground at this low altitude. Things would only get tougher as they climbed higher, unfortunately, not to mention the Heartless Shan-Yu would inevitably send at them.

As if on cue, about a dozen Heartless suddenly appeared from over a nearby ridge and ran towards the four warriors. The small group of enemies was made up of mostly Shadows but also a few Angel Stars as well. The magical Heartless with its angel like wings had not been seen by Sora since his first journey. Sora did remember their lethal magic and and went after them first. He leapt at one of the Angel Stars, swinging his Keyblade into its glass like body. It seemed to crack under each of Sora's swings until, finally, it fell to the ground and dispersed into darkness. Another Angel Star had been charging up an attack and as Sora turned around, it launched a ball of electrical energy at Sora. He narrowed his eyes and timed up his swing perfectly, knocking the ball right back at the Angel Star. The ball hit the Heartless with all its power and the Angel Star exploded.

Sora took a deep breath and turned to see that Mulan, Donald, and Goofy had finished off the rest of the Heartless with little to no effort. Progress was being made, there was no doubt about that, but they couldn't waste their time with measly Heartless. Shan-Yu was the main target, and these Heartless would only go away if he was taken out. So up the mountain they continued, taking out more Heartless along the way. These smaller enemies were nothing more than a minor obstacle and that's all.

The four friends reached a small plateau where the ground evened out. Shan-Yu was there, along with several dozen Heartless. He smirked before retreating higher up the mountain, leaving the Heartless behind. The Heartless charged at them, and Mulan was the first to take one out. She swung her sword with fast speed and cut down many Heartless with little to no effort. That was the thing about these grunt-type Heartless, they were weak and easy to get rid of. Unfortunately their large size in numbers made it so they were forced to slow down. At the moment this was allowing Shan-Yu to escape higher up the mountain, where he would eventually be forced to stop and fight. But he was being given the time to prepare his Hearltess troops, while Sora and the others wasted their energy climbing up and fighting. That being said, the heroes dispatched of these Heartless before ascending higher up the mountain to meet Shan-Yu.

They reached a spot where the ground flattened out once again. Near their current position, there was a large hill that ran up almost to the top of the mountain. Shan-Yu was standing at the top, and now he raised his sword above his head. Dozens of Heartless began to appear all around him and waited for his command. He looked to his left and to his right, then he chuckled to himself a little. He took a deep breath and yelled, "Attack!" He and the Heartless began to charge down the hill and towards the four warriors.

"This feels awfully familiar," Sora said as he got into his battle stance.

"Tell me about it," Mulan replied as she raised her sword and prepared for battle.

"We've found them, come men, join the fight!" Captain Shang suddenly appeared from the lower parts of the mountain, followed by many imperial soldiers.

"Captain Shang?!" Sora said, surprised to see Shang and his soldiers.

"Glad to see we didn't miss the fight!" Shang said happily. Then he turned to his fellow soldiers. "Men, form up rank with Mulan and the others! We stop Shan-Yu here!" The imperial soldiers immediately obeyed and ran formed a line with Sora, Mulan, Donald and Goofy. Captain Shang ran next to Sora. "Are all of you alright?" he asked.

Yeah, we had to do some fighting on the way up, but we just caught up to Shan-Yu," Sora explained.

"We would have been here sooner but we also ran into trouble. Those damn Heartless can appear from almost anywhere!" Shang said.

"Sorry to interrupt you two, but they're almost right on top of us!" Mulan said suddenly. She was right too. Shan-Yu and his Heartless were more than halfway down the mountain and showed no signs of slowing.

"Remember your training men, and it will keep you alive. It's time we rid China of this Hun forever!" Shang yelled out to inspire his soldiers.

Shan-Yu and the Heartless were now less than one hundred yards away. Sora braced himself to fend off any type of attack, whether it be physical or some sort of magic. He could see Shan-Yu himself was going directly at him, no doubt seeking revenge for what happened in their first encounter. Sora could see Shan-Yu's sword, the jagged-edged blade glinting in the sun.

Sora chose to take Shan-Yu away from the main battle before it even began. He sprang forward with great speed, and locked blades with Shan-Yu. At the speed he was going, he pushed Shan-Yu back with great force. He turned around quickly to ensure they were far enough away from the others and then he turned back to Shan-Yu. To Sora's surprise, Shan-Yu was laughing.

"You better not underestimate me this time, boy. I'm far more powerful than I was during our first battle," Shan-Yu hissed.

"We'll see about that," Sora snapped back.

"Yes... We shall!" Shan-Yu bellowed as an aura of darkness formed around his entire body. The darkness swirled around him, giving him strength. He stared at Sora with a deathly glare, before letting out a yell that echoed across the entire mountain. Shan-Yu charged at Sora with high speed, and the two locked their blades together. Sora gave a quick push to knock Shan-Yu backwards before swinging at him repeatedly with his Keyblade. Shan-Yu blocked every single attack and then began his own counterattack. He moved with nearly blinding speed,forcing Sora to walk backwards as he attempted to block each swing of the sword. One swing got through and cut Sora directly on the upper left arm. He jumped back to create distance between Shan-Yu and himself and to inspect his arm. Blood was flowing steadily from the newly opened wound and it was also throbbing in pain. Sora knew he had to just ignore it and continue fighting.

To Sora's surprise, Shan-Yu was already on the move once more, swinging his sword like a mad man. Sora was just barely able to dodge his initial attack, but was then forced bring up a reflect barrier to stop Shan-Yu's next attack. Shan-Yu bashed the barrier several times before realizing he wouldn't be able to break through. He stopped, then took a step back and waited for the barrier to close. Sora knew he couldn't hold it for much longer, so he had to quickly think up a plan. He looked around the environment, nothing but snow. That wouldn't be much help.

Unless... Yes a plan had formed in Sora's head. Now he had to put it into action.

Sora dropped his barrier faster than Shan-Yu anticipated. Sora jumped back and at the same time, used his fire magic to melt all the snow and ice around Shan-Yu. Losing his footing, Shan-Yu nearly fell down, and when he momentarily lost his balance, Sora sprang forward and attacked. He cut Shan-Yu on the leg and the shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain. He jumped back to distance himself from Sora, and now he was in an angry frenzy. The darkness around his body intensified, and let out another loud war cry. This is actually what Sora had hoped for, he wanted Shan-Yu to become so angry that he lost all sense of everything else.

Still in his blind rage, Shan-Yu charged at Sora and attempted to cut down directly on top of him. At the last second, Sora stepped to the right and Shan-Yu completely missed him. After putting all his weight behind that attack, Shan-Yu nearly fell on his face, but not before Sora lowered his Keyblade into back. Shan-Yu gave a small yelp of pain as the blood began to soak his clothes on his back, then he fell to ground. The dark aura around his body disappeared, blood soaked the snow all around him.

Shan-Yu had been defeated.

Sora took a deep breath and turned around to see how his friends were doing. He was glad to see that almost all the Heartless were gone and that almost all of Shang's soldliers were still up and fighting. He was about to run over to them and join in the fight when a voice stopped him.

"So he played the game once and lost. Then he was given a second chance at the game, only to lose yet again. Such a pity," the voice said as a lone person in a black coat emerged from a dark portal. Sora got into his battle stance and narrowed his eyes. The figure removed his hood to reveal his face. It was Luxord, one of the original Organiztion XIII members.

"What are you doing here? Are you... Are you a part of Xehanort's new Organization?" Sora asked cautiously.

"You catch on quick, perhaps you aren't as foolish as I thought. And I must admit, you have been playing the game well. But know this, the farther into the game you go, the more difficult it will become. And no one can play the game forever..." Luxord said evilly before disappearing into the same dark portal he had entered in.

Mulan ran over to Sora when she saw the Luxord. "Was that one of those Organization members?" She asked.

"Yeah, but he's a part of the new Organization. It's even more powerful than the original," Sora replied.

"Either way, he's just another enemy that needs to be taken out," Captain Shang said as he approached them.

"Is everyone alright?" Sora asked Shang.

"Ah yes, only a few minor injuries, and unfortunately two fatal casualties. But they did die serving China and the Emperor honorably. I have always believed that is the greatest way to die," Shang said, proud of his soldiers for their bravery.

"Yeah, I agree," Sora said,

"What about you? Are you hurt?" Mulan asked Sora, looking at his cut arm.

"What? Oh, no I'm fine. A little bit of curing magic and that should heal with no problem," Sora replied.

"Enough with the talk. Let us all return to the palace and celebrate our victory!" Shang announced loudly.

**Several hours later at the imperial palace:**

"Once again, you have all braved the dangers of Shan-Yu and his treachery. All of you shall be remembered as heroes of China, for all time!" The Emperor proclaimed. Sora, Donald, Goofy, Mulan, Shang, and many imperial soldiers were celebrating their victory in the palace's grand hall. Funerals for the dead would commence tomorrow, but now was time to celebrate.

The friends all sat together with the Emperor and celebrated gleefully. There was good food, and entertainment as well. All in all, everyone had a great time. It was all for good reason too, since Shan-Yu was the one of the most evil foes the Land of Dragons had ever seen. Now that he was defeated, this world would be safe, unless Xehanort wasn't defeated.

With this in mind, Sora already told Donald and Goofy they had to leave almost as soon as the celebration was over.

**Later:**

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" Mulan asked Sora as they approached the Gummi Ship.

"Unfortunately yes, there's a greater threat out there that, if not taken care of, could mean the end of all worlds," Sora answered.

"It's fine, and we are grateful for your help. If there is ever anything you need, please do not hesitate to come back and ask," Shang said.

"Thanks," Sora said as he and Shang shook hands.

He climbed into the Gummi Ship and turned on the engines. The ship roared momentarily as the engines warmed up, and Sora took the ship high into the sky, away from the Land of Dragons, and to another world.

There was one thing going through Sora's mind, something Shang had said. "But they did die serving China and the Emperor honorably. I have always believed that is the greatest way to die..." Sora kept hearing it in his head. Die with honor, to save and protect those that you care for. Sora believed this, and he would live by it if he had to.

**The Keyblade Graveyard:**

Master Xehanort himself was walking slowly in the wasteland known as the Keyblade Graveyard. Xehanort walked, his hand folded behind him, and a small, crooked smile on his face. "How long has it been since I've been here?" He said to himself as he looked at the thousands of Keyblades all around him. Each Keyblade representing a different Keybearer who had fallen in the first Keyblade War. So many lives lost, so much blood shed. "And all for some light," Xehanort said, finishing his thoughts out loud. "Why does everyone think light is so precious and darkness so evil? Light only exists because of darkness, and darkness only exists because of light. Without one, the other would not be able to take shape, to take form. Perhaps they will see my way in the end, or not. Either way, whoever stands in my way will die."

Xehanort was interrupted by a figure emerging from a dark portal behind him. The figure stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Master Xehanort, is it time for me to act?" The figure asked.

"Yes, proceed with the plan we put together, make sure she knows it is you," Xehanort instructed without even turning to admit it.

"Very well, I shall Master," the figure said. The figure turned around and proceeded to walk through he portal. The figure then said to himself, "It's been some time, but it seems I will see you once again... Kairi."

**end of chapter: **

**There's another chapter down! Shan-Yu is gone once and for all, but where should Sora and his friends go now? Agrabah? Halloween Town? A new never before seen world? Leave a suggestion and I just may put that world in the story at one point or another. And who is this mystery figure and what's his link to Kairi? Only time will tell. So until next time, give me a tip on any typos, leave a review, and as always, thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Don't really have anything to say or add in at the moment, other than a quick shoutout to YamiChaos27 and Silent Type Delta for their reviews... so let's just get this chapter under way!**

**Chapter 9:**

_Kairi found herself walking in Radiant Garden, though it didn't look like the same world she and the others were used to. Buildings all around the town were on fire, the castle in the distance was destroyed, and dark clouds were descended all across the sky. High above there was a ball of darkness, red, purple and black in color, sparking with dark energy. As she looked at it, Kairi realized it was similar to the dark ball that had appeared on Destiny Islands, before they were lost in darkness. She began to panic as she saw countless Heartless and Nobodies all around, attacking innocent civilians with ruthless ambition. She went to summon her Keyblade but was unable to. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get her Keyblade to come to her. She began to panic even more, becoming frantic but also confused, since none of the countless enemies were coming near her. _

_Suddenly a lone figure came shooting across the horizon and landed on the ground with a loud thud, then rolled several more feet. Kairi's eyes widened in horror as she realized the body laying limp on the ground before her was Sora. She tried to run to him, but found that she couldn't move. Nothing was holding her back, it was as though she were frozen in time. Her fears grew worse when, in a quick flash of dakrness, Xehanort himself appeared next to Sora. He looked at her with his cold, golden eyes, and didn't even take his eyes off of her as he summoned his Keyblade, and stabbed it down onto Sora..._

"Sora!" Kairi screamed as she nearly fell out of her bed. She was panting heavily and reliazed, after wiping her forehead with her arm, that she was sweating quite a bit. She looked around quickly, she was in her room in Master Yen Sid's tower. She sighed and walked over to the window. The sun was just beginning to rise. "A beautiful sight," she quielty murmured to herself.

She jumped a little when the door suddenly burst open. It was Lea. "Kairi, I heard you scream something... You alright?" He asked her.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, it was just a bad dream and nothing more," Kairi assured him.

"Oh that's good then. I was downstairs with Master Yen Sid when we heard you scream and didn't know if maybe someone had come and attacked you," he said.

"No, nothing like that, it was a dream and nothing more," Kairi said smiling. She was smiling to try and convince Lea she was okay, but she also realized that she was trying to convince herself.

"Well, take your time, but when your ready Master Yen Sid wants to see us both. Something about a new mission I think," Lea said.

"Okay, I'll be down in a few minutes," Kairi replied.

Lea nodded and closed the door. As he walked down the stairs of the tower, he couldn't help but feel worried about Kairi. He knew that wasn't the first bad dream she has had since Sora and the others left. She was just being too strong to tell Master Yen Sid or himself, or maybe to stubborn. Either way, he could only hope they wouldn't continue. "Maybe Master Yen Sid's news will clear her head of that kind of stuff," Lea whispered to himself.

Lea sat down at a table across from Master Yen Sid. The old master didn't even bother asking Lea about Kairi, he already knew. He knew of Kairi's nightmares but chose not to mention that fact to either Lea or Kairi. It was something Kairi would have to defeat on her own, that is was Master Yen Sid had decided.

Lea and Master Yen Sid sat in silence, waiting for Kairi to come down and meet with them. After about five more minutes, she came down dressed in her training armor.

"Ah, good, now we can begin," Master Yen Sid said, "I have a new mission for you two, one that is much more important than your first. But your training has been going well, so I believe you will both be fine."

"So what is this mission?" Lea asked as leaned back in his chair.

"You are both going to Radiant Garden, Leon has informed me of strange disturbances taking place and has requested for help. So I'm going to send you two, and you are to assist Leon and the others in any way possible. Understand?" Master Yen Sid concluded.

"Yes Master," Lea and Kairi said in unison.

The two friends grabbed some extra supplies and quickly went to their ship. Lea noted that Kairi, though happy to be on another mission, was still very quiet. He hoped this mission would cheer her up, and quickly...

**On a distant world:**

Sora stepped onto a dock and looked around at his surroundings, Donald and Goofly did as well. Behind them was a large fortress like structure, with many parts of it falling apart or just plain out of place. In front of them was endless ocean and many ships of all shapes and sizes. A dense fog loomed in the air, creating a sense of unease among the three friends.

"So, uh, where do you think we are, fellas?" Goofy asked.

Sora tapped his head with his finger several times, deep in thought. "Well, the creepy fog... The pirate ships... Wait, that's it! The pirate ships! We must be in Jack's world!" He exclaimed.

"Jack Skellington?" Goofy as confusedly.

"No dummy! Jack Sparrow!" Donald corrected him.

"That's _Captain _Jack Sparrow to you," a voice behind them said.

They all turned around and sure enough, Captain Jack Sparrow was standing there, a bottle of rum in his hand. "Jack, how've you been? Staying outta trouble I hope?" Sora asked him.

"Aye if there's one thing Jack can't stay away from, it's trouble. Tis the life of a pirate I suppose," another familiar voice said. To everyones but Jack's surprise, it was the pirate Barbosa, their enemy.

"B-Barbosa?! How are you still alive, and what are you doing here?" Sora asked as he summoned his Keyblade.

Barbosa started laughing as Elizabeth Swann approached them. She smiled as she recognized Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "I can assure you Barbosa is our friend now, in fact he also helped us save Jack," she explained.

"Must I remind you I would not have to have been saved if not for you, Miss Swann?" Jack said.

"I thought we were done with that, now drop it!" Elizabeth said angrily.

"What're you talking about?" Sora asked her.

"Come, come, we'll take this elsewhere, and then I'll explain it all," Barbosa said.

They all walked to a nearby bar and walked inside. It was rather noisy and there was no shortage of drunk pirates. Barbosa signaled for them to follow him to a table in the corner, where it would be quieter. Along the way he calmly grabbed a bottle of rum from an empty table. He sat down and took a swig of his drink as the others sat down. "I'll bring you three up to speed on what's been goin on 'round here, so leave all questions until I finish," Barbosa began. He took another swig of his drink before continuing. "Jack here owed a debt to Davy Jones, captain of the Flying Dutchman. Now, as captain of said ship requires that him to ferry lost souls to the afterlife. Instead of doing that, he decided to go on a rampage and ignored his duties, causing himself and his crew to quite literally turn into fish-like monsters. Nevertheless he's still one of the strongest on the seas. Anyway, Jack owed him a debt and didn't pay it, so he was sent to Davy Jones' Locker. Myself, Miss Swann, and Master Turner, along with Gibbs and the Black Pearl's crew traveled to the Locker and rescued Jack. During that time, Beckett became the Lord of the British Armada and got control of Davy Jones and his crew by getting his hands on Jones' beating heart. That's why we're here, at Shipwreck Cove, the pirate fortress. The Brethren Court has been called, and the nine Pirate Lords have gathered to decide what to do while the enemy closes in on us. We have two choices, since it's already too late to run. We can either fortify ourselves and hold out as long as possible, or fight back. Unfortunately both options aren't very promising."

Sora took in all the information and was thinking it all over carefully. A lot had happened here in this world since they had left, that much was obvious. There was one thing that was bothering him now though. "Where's Will?"

"Ah yes, Master Turner. You see he's with Beckett and Jones because apparently he and Jack discussed stabbing Jones' heart, which is the one way to kill him. However, Turner's father happens to be one of the crew members of the Dutchman and wishes to save him," Barbosa explained.

"We'll have to cross that bridge when we reach it," Elizabeth said, "I believe it's time we met the others at the Brethren Court, and decide what exactly our plan will be."

"I agree, let's go, but get some more rum first," Jack said, surveying the bar in search of another bottle.

A short while later they were all at a large meeting room known as the Brethren Court. There were many pirates all around, with the nine Pirate Lords sitting at their respective spots at the table. Jack was one, as well as Barbosa. To Sora's surprise, Elizabeth was too. She explained that Sao Feng, who was killed, had given her his piece of eight, obligating her to bring it to the Court in his place.

At the moment this Brethren Court was nothing more than all the pirates just yelling at one another about what course of action to take. Suddenly Barbosa stood on the table and fired his flintlock. Immediately all the pirates stopped their arguing. Barbosa went on to say that they need to attack the British and fight for their lives, which was met by more arguing. In the midst of it all, the topic of voting for a Pirate King came up.

"It would be a waste of time," one Lord said.

"Aye, since all the Lords simply vote for themselves," Barbosa agreed.

"I call for a vote!" Jack yelled out suddenly.

What proceeded to be a waste of time was each Pirate Lord voting for themselves, just Barbosa said would happen. That is, until it was time for the final vote, Jack's vote. "Elizabeth Swann," he declared proudly.

That sent a shudder across the room. First it was a few seconds of complete silence, you could literally hear a pin drop. Then, you guessed it, more yelling and arguing.

"No, no!" One yelled.

"This is preposterous!" Another yelled.

"I refuse to believe this, no matter what the Code says. We-"

BOOM!

A gun went off and the pirate who was speaking, one the Lords' lowly crew members, fell to te ground. Sora neary jumped out of his skin at the sound of the gun. It immediately put an end to all arguments and all eyes turned to the holder of the gun. In fact it was the holder of the Pirate Code itself. Jack's father, Captain Teague. "The Code is law," he said quietly and calmly before putting away his flintlock.

"Well then, it seems we have our Pirate King... Or Queen. What is your orders then, your Majesty?" Barbosa asked Elizabeth.

All eyes turned to Elizabeth, their new leader. She eyes them steadily and said with an aura of confidence, "Prepare every vessel that floats. We go to war."

**Radiant Garden:**

"So that's it," Leon concluded.

"So you're saying that the attacks from the Heartless and Nobodies have increased immensely, and there's also a guy in one of the Organization's black coats popping up all over the place?" Lea asked, making sure he had the whole story right.

"That's right, we think it's only one in the black coat, but we also wouldn't be surprised if there's more than one," Leon confirmed.

"So what exactly do you want us to do?" Kairi asked.

"Just look around, do some investigating and see what you come up with I suppose. We can't allow any darkness to take Radiant Garden, not again," Leon said sternly.

"Right, we'll see what we can come up with. Let's go Kairi," Lea said.

"Right behind you," Kairi said.

Lea and Kairi left Merlin's place in the borough and traveled down the street. There were a few signs of war on the street, but not too many. Several burned buildings and downed street lights but nothing more. Leon also said they were lucky enough not to have experienced any fatalities.

"Let's go in the direction of the castle, that always seems to be a place that gets attacked for some reason," Lea suggested.

"Just lead the way," Kairi replied, barely even paying attention.

_Her minds somewhere else again, I hope this mission cheers her up, _Lea thought to himself.

They reached the castle and were about to go head inside when they became surrounded by Heartless and Nobodies, but only Shadows and Dusks. Lea and Kairi summoned their Keyblades and took on the attackers. They cut down the enemies with little to no effort but then Kairi sensed a dark presence closing in. She turned to see a figure in the black coat, the one Leon had told them about. She didn't hesitate one second and charged at him. She swing her Keyblade at him but he stepped to the side and dodged it. Each time she attacked, the enemy simply side stepped each attack and she missed each time. Then he took a step back and summoned his own Keyblade. His hand shimmered in a blueish lightning color and then it appeared in his hand, a dark blue Keyblade with streaks of lightning all around the hilt and blade. The teeth at the end of the blade also looked like a lightning bolt.

He charged forward and forced Kairi to raise her Keyblade and block all of his attacks. She could barely keep up with him and eventually he broke through her defense. Rather than stab her with his Keyblade with the opening he was now given, the figure in the coat only pushed her down.

"It's been a long time, has it not?" He said suddenly.

"What do mean?" Kairi asked confusedly.

"Surely you haven't forgotten... About me?" He said as he removed his hood.

Kairi's eyes widened in horror. "V-Viggo!? How are you... Why..."

The man named Viggo only laughed. "In time you shall see..." He said before disappearing into a dark portal, leaving Kairi alone and confused.

**End of Chapter:**

**Thats right I chose Pirates of the Caribbean, purely out of fan bias I suppose. Anyway hope you enjoyed the chapter and I apologize for the time between updates. Updates should happen More frequently now that I have more free time this winter. As always, of there's typos let me know, and leave a review! Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Authors note: So I guess everyone hated the name Sanitar... Whatever that's fine, I changed it to the Roman name Viggo. Why that you might ask? Well it's because I'm having his signature skill revolve around lightning/electricity and Viggo literally means lightning. So there's that. Apparently the last chapter, according to some of you, was poorly written and rushed. So I'll try and do better with that...**

Kairi woke up to find herself on a couch in Merlin's house. She looked around and saw Cid typing away at his computer, Leon watching intently over his shoulder. They were both muttering to each other, but she couldn't distinguish what they were saying. She sat up now and saw Lea on a chair next to the couch, resting his eyes. Kairi rubbed her eyes and motioned to get up when Lea woke up, now aware of her consciousness.

"Kairi?! Are you okay?" He asked.

"Y-yeah, I think so... What happened?" She replied.

"I was gonna ask you that, you passed out after that guy disappeared. There were a lot of Heartless and Nobodies and I wasn't able to reach you until he was gone. I'm just glad he didn't hurt you, when I took you back here Merlin said you had no injuries whatsoever. So who was that guy?" Lea asked, very curious to find out why Kairi knew that Organization member.

Kairi took a deep breath before speaking. "I had forgotten about him, since I left my home when I was younger. But then when I saw him, it all came rushing back and I remembered exactly who he was. Him... Viggo..."

_Several Years Ago..._

"Grandma, grandma! Can you tell me the story again!?" Kairi asked her grandmother.

"Again? My dear I have told you that story countless times!" Kairi's grandmorther laughed.

"Oh come on, you know I love that story!" Kairi pleaded.

"Now Kairi you know not to bother your grandmother, right?" A new voice said. It was man, in about his mid-twenties, and he had dark gray hair that was almost black, pale blue eyes, and a thin chinstrap beard.

"Viggo, butt out!" Kairi laughed.

Viggo patted Kairi on the head. "I actually have to speak to your Grandmother," he said rather seriously.

"Oh, I see. Run along child, we have important business to discuss. I'll tell you the story later," Kairi's grandmother said.

Kairi knew there was no point in arguing so she obliged and left the room.

"Come Viggo, please sit down, tell me what has been going on," Kairi's grandmother said.

"Thank you very much. So are one of the only ones here at Radiant Garden that knows of my abilities to wield a Keyblade. Unfortunately so does Xehanort, and Master Eraqus has informed me that Xehanort is turning to the darkness yet again. He's plotting... Something... But we do not know what. I'm warning you to watch out for any beings of darkness and some shady character named Vanitas. Everywhere he goes these strange creatures called Unversed appear as well. Apparently they are beings that exist from the negative emotions of people, at least that's what Master Eraqus told me," Viggo explained. He took a deep breath and leaned back in his seat.

"So it seems darkness is attempting to rise yet again," Kairi's grandmother sighed.

"It would seem that way, yes," Viggo agreed sadly.

"What shall we do? What about Master Eraqus?" Kairi's grandmother asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, I'm meeting with Master Eraqus after I leave here. He and I will decide what course of action to take. Just to be safe, make sure Kairi is ready to go at a moments notice. She must remain safe, at all costs," Viggo said. He got up from his seat and started to head to the door and meet with Master Eraqus in the square.

"Yes, yes I understand. Good luck Viggo, together we will all defeat the darkness," Kairi's grandmother said.

Viggo nodded and left the house, secretly happy that he didn't encounter Kairi on his way out. He was wondering if Xehanort knew who Kairi really was, if he knew the fact that she was a Princess of Heart. If that was the case, they would need to get her off of Radiant Garden and to a safe world as soon as possible. Until he and Master Eraqus could learn more of what Xehanort was planning, they had to prepare for the worst. They had to protect Kairi, no matter what.

Viggo was still lost in his thoughts when he heard a voice yell his name from behind him. He turned to see Master Eraqus, and he realized he had literally walked right past him without even realizing it. He approached Master Eraqus and the two friends shook hands. "Master Eraqus, it's good to see you again," Viggo smiled.

"And the same to you my friend, how have you been here at Radiant Garden?" Master Eraqus asked him.

"Things here have been well, quiet too. I hoped it would stay that way, but according to the news you shared with me the other day, that isn't going to happen," Viggo answered.

"Unfortunately not, and worse yet, I have already seen a fair number of the Unversed around the town, as well as the boy in the mask, Vanitas. Tell me, where is the Princess?" Master Eraqus asked Viggo quietly.

"She's at her grandmothers house, completely oblivious to any darkness at all. I told her grandmother to make sure she is ready at all times in case we have to move her to a different world, for her own safety of course," Viggo replied happily. He was glad he was playing a part in keeping Kairi safe from whatever the darkness was going to throw at them. He cared for her deeply, not like a daughter but more like a younger sister. He felt obligated to keep her safe, and would do all he could to protect her.

"That's good, very good indeed. My three young apprentices are training hard back at my home world. I haven't informed them of what Xehanort may be planning, mainly because we do not know what he is plotting. He seems to be very interested in Terra, and I'm not going to lie, that worries me quite a bit..." Master Eraqus paused a moment, as though his head was on another world.

"Master? Are you okay?" Viggo asked, concern for his Master in his voice.

"Uh, yes, yes I'm fine. There's just a lot on my mind. Listen to me and listen carefully now, please. I don't want to take any chances, not any at all. Take Kairi to the Destiny Islands, and then return here. I will assist her on the Islands, but it is your duty to take her there. Understood?" Master Eraqus asked seriously.

"Yes Master, I'll take care of it. I promise I won't let you down," Viggo said determinedly.

Master Eraqus placed a hand on Viggo's shoulder. "I know you won't, good luck my friend. And stay safe," Master Eraqus said sadly.

"You too, Master," Viggo said before heading back into the direction of Kairi's grandmother's house.

About halfway to the house, strange creatures began appearing in front of Viggo. The Unversed. He summoned his Keyblade, a bolt of electricity surging all the way around his body, and he attacked these new enemies. Each swing of his mighty weapon sent ripples of lightning shooting into the direction of his swings, and these small Unversed creatures didn't stand a chance. But they wouldn't stop coming, doing all they could to keep him from his goal, the house.

The house! That was it, these Unversed were merely sent to keep him occupied while something, or someone, was going to target Kairi's grandmother's house. He knew he couldn't continue this fight, as it was only meant to distract him. He raised his Keyblade into the air and charged it with electric particles from the air. When he had enough charged he flipped the Keyblade and yelled, "Electric surge!" He stabbed his Keyblade into the ground with all his might and sent electricity surging out in all directions, taking oout all of the Unversed in the immediate area. Unfortunately, more began to appear after only a matter of seconds, but Viggo was already in a full sprint towards Kairi's grandmother's house. Unversed began to pop up in front of him and each time he would swing his Keyblade and kill it without even breaking stride. Viggo was very strong and capable, thanks to Master Eraqus and his other Master, who was long dead now. The training they put him through when he was just a child was paying off very handsomely here in this moment of distress.

At last he reached the house. He burst inside and called out, "Kairi!"

Kairi's grandmother appeared with the young girl right behind her, a very frightened look on both of their faces. "She's right here, Viggo. Please, make sure she is safe."

"She will be, I can ensure you of that. You will be safe as well, once the Unversed realize Kairi is no longer on this world, they should end their attack," Viggo replied.

"What's going on Viggo? Why are those things here and hurting people?" Kairi asked Viggo, nearly on the brink of tears.

"There's no time to explain, but I will make sure you are safe. Please come with me," Viggo said.

"What about my grandmother?!" the child cried.

"Kairi, I swear on my life, she will not be harmed. Now, please come with me, I have to keep you out of harm's way," Viggo said calmly, despite his own panic building up inside of him. The small child nodded slowly a few times and Viggo stood up and put his palm out. A large rectangle began to shimmer in the middle of the room and grew bigger and bigger until it formed a portal of light, shining inside the dimly-lit room. Viggo took Kairi's small hand in his own and together they stepped through the portal.

On the other side of the portal was nothing short of beautiful, in Viggo's opinion. They were on a small island, the waves swayed back and forth calmly, filling the air with their endless melody. The sun had almost finished its descent, painting a site worthy of a fine painting. Viggo looked around and was relieved to see Master Eraqus walking towards himself and Kairi. "Master... She is safe," Viggo said quietly.

"So she is, well done Viggo, I knew I could trust you. The darkness will not find this world, and even if they do, it will take many years for that to occur," Master Eraqus replied. He knelt down so he could speak directly to Kairi. "Hello, little one. My name is Master Eraqus, and you are?" He asked. He obviously knew who she was already, but felt a more formal introduction would make her feel more comfortable.

"K-Kairi," she answered timidly.

"Kairi, you can trust Master Eraqus. He's been a friend of mine for many years," Viggo smiled.

Kairi hesitated a moment, but then said, " If he is your friend, then he's my friend!"

"I'm glad to see we could become friends so fast!" Master Eraqus laughed. Then he grew more serious and spoke directly to Viggo. "I need you to go back and makesure no one has been harmed and take care of any stray Unversed."

"Yes Master, I'll take care of it right away," Viggo answered.

"But Viggo, where are you going?" Kairi asked, dissapointment obvious in her words.

"Don't worry, I just have to take care of some small business first, then I'll come directly back here," Viggo smiled.

"Promise?" the child asked warily.

"I promise," Viggo said, still smiling. Kairi grinned and nodded several times. Viggo turned around and opened a portal of light.

"Come, Kairi, I'll show you the Secret Place, it's like its own little world!" Master Eraqus said to Kairi, attempting to distract her from Viggo's departure.

"That sounds fun! Show me, show me!" she said excitedly. Master Eraqus started to walk toward the Secret Place on the island, but not before shooting Viggo a quick look, advising him to leave immediately.

Viggo nodded and stepped through the portal.

_Present..._

"...That's the last time I ever saw him." Kairi concluded.

"Until now, of course," Lea replied, "The question now is, why the hell is he with Xehanort?"

"I wish I knew..." Kairi said quietly as tears began to fil her eyes.

"Hey, don't worry about it, either way, I bet we can get him back on our side. Who knows maybe he still is and has just been playing Xehanort for a fool the whole time," Lea said, trying to cheer Kairi up.

"Maybe we can get him back, but I know for a fact he isn't faking being with Xehanort," Kairi said somberly.

"What makes you say that?" Lea asked.

"I remember his eyes being a pale blue when I was younger... And now they're the same evil golden color as Xehanort's," Kairi said as she broke into tears.

**End of chapter:**

**Yes I know I did not explain how exactly Viggo becomes a part of Viggo's new Organization, I have that planned to be revealed in a later chapter by Viggo himself, so don't freak out on about that. I'd like to thank YamiChaos27 for the idea of using an "OC from Kairi's past" as a member of Xehanort's new Org XIII. It was a good idea and I was able to make a pretty good backstory for him if I do say so myself. The next chapter will take us to the showdown between the pirates and Davy Jones, as well as some time in the Realm of Darkness with Riku and Mickey.**

**As always, inform me on typos (last chapter I made a typo while writing "tell me about any typos"... little ironic I suppose), _and leave a review!_ Also as always (does that even make sense)... Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11

**The Caribbean:**

"What in the world was that?" Sora yelled out, as Tia Dalma, who was really the goddess of the ocean, Calypso, literally exploded into countless pale, white colored crabs.

"That, young lad, was Calypso, finally being freed from her human bonds," Gibbs, Jack's first mate, explained.

"But it seems she has no desire to help us, as we had hoped," Barbosa said disappointedly as he looked up at the sky.

"So what now? She was our only chance to beat the British and Davy Jones! What the hell are we supposed to do now?" One pirate yelled out.

It was at that moment that the sky suddenly turned dark and the rain began to fall. A large whirlpool opened up in the ocean between the two armies of ships, and lightning fell in all directions from the pitch black clouds in the sky.

"It seems we spoke too soon, the goddess is on our side," Barbosa smiled.

"Yes! Raise the colors!" Elizabeth ordered.

The skull and crossbones flag was slowly raised to the top of the mast on the Black Pearl, as the other pirate ships raised their colors as well. They were ready for war.

"Aye! The winds at our backs boys, that's all we need!" Gibbs said excitedly.

Meanwhile, on the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones looked up at the sky angrily. "Calypso... How could you betray me?" The anger inside of him began building up more and more, now that he realized his love had turned her back on him. He looked forward and saw the whirlpool forming and glared at the direction of the Black Pearl. He stormed over to the helm of the Dutchman and began taking the ship in the direction of the whirlpool.

"Are you insane?! You can't take us into the middle of that thing, we'll all die!" One of the British soldiers on board screamed at Jones.

"Well then, I hope you are prepared for your death!" Davy Jones laughed like a mad man. "Men! We're taking back control of this ship. Davy Jones' crew quickly reacted to their Captains orders and killed any British soldiers near them. It was only a matter of time, until this happened, since the British and Dutchman crew were always enemies. As his crew took care of the Brits, Jones took the Dutchman towards the whirlpool.

Back on the Black Pearl, Will Turner saw the Dutchman's movements. "He's going straight to the whirlpool, to meet us head on. Everyone, show no fear! We must brave this danger and take on the Dutchman, it's our only chance!"

"Will, what should Donald, Goofy, and I do?" Sora asked as the Pearl edged closer and closer to the menacing whirlpool, lightning crackling down into the middle of it.

"Defend the Pearl from any of Jones' crew, but if you get the chance, then do what you can to get onto the Dutchman. If we can stab Jones' heart, then we win this battle," Will answered.

"Right, understood," Sora said, nodding his head.

Now both the Black Pearl and Flying Dutchman were right on the edge of the whirlpool, about to enter its sweeping currents. "This is it boys, everyone brace yourselves!" Gibbs called out. Both ships simultaneously entered the whirlpool and began moving in its current aorund and around in a circle. The ships became closer to each other as they circled around, and were almost in cannon range. "Prepare to fire cannons!" Gibbs called out, as the crew under the deck worked frantically to make sure all the cannons were ready to fire. "Ready..." Gibbs paused, waiting for the perfect timing to give the signal. He kept his hand in the air and eyed the Dutchman down; all eyes were on him and it seemed as though an eternal silence was holding its grip on both ships.

"FIRE!" Gibbs bellowed at the top of his lungs. The Pearl's cannons fired with tremendous force, as did the Dutchman's. Most of the cannonballs flew by harmlessly and others didn't even reach the ships. There were a few, however, that hit thier mark, causing parts of the ships to come apart and kill anyone who was unlucky enough to be in thier narrow path. The ships slowly got closer and closer to each other until pirates from both sides grabbed ropes from thier respective ship and swung over to the enemy side.

Sora summoned his Keyblade and struck down one of Jones' crew before he could even hit the ground. Another landed next to him and swung at Sora with his large, double-edged sword. Sora lifted up the Kingdom Key and blocked the incoming attack, nearly falling over from the wieght behind the attack. Sora quickly countered with quick successive strikes that the pirate couldn't keep up with. After a few more attacks, Sora broke through and stabbed the pirate, who fell limp to the ground. Donald and Goofy were working together against one pirate at a time, a strategy that worked extremely well. Goofy would protect Donald from any incoming attacks, and Donald would use a variety of magic spells to take out any evil pirate that came near them.

Sora looked around and saw that his allies outnumbered his enemies on the Black Pearl, so he decided he needed to help his friends who had already gotten over to the Flying Dutchman. He took a running start from the Pearl's deck and glided across the water, over the giant, seemingly bottomless whirlpool. He landed, Keyblade in hand, on the Flying Dutchman, and saw Will and Elizabeth fighting side-by-side against members of Jones' crew. Sora was about to run over and help them when he sensed something dark overhead. He looked up and saw a lone figure in a black coat, but the hood up to ocnceal his face. He saw the figure snap his fingers, summoning small flying Heartless, black as night. Sora eyed them down and began to use the mast and netting of the ship to jump up to the black-coated enemy. Along the way up, he calmly swung the Kingdom Key at the Heartless, causing them to disperse into clouds of darkness.

Sora certainly had come a very long way since his first journey. Combat was now second nature to him, and his agility and natural physical skills were beyond anything he ever thought possible. Even now, he could jump kick his way up to meet the black-coated enemy head on and kill these Heartless at the same time.

He landed at the top of the mast and pointed his Keyblade at his enemy. "Tell me, are you with Xehanort?"

"Indeed I am, and I know you all too well," the figure replied as he removed his hood.

Sora recognized him right away. "Xaldin?! So you've returned to help Xehanort too?"

"Correct again, you seem to be on top of everything so far," Xaldin said, an evil smile growing on his face. "But I can assure you that this will be a surprise." He held out his right hand, and Sora could see the wind physically swirling around it, as if it were a tornado. The swirl of wind continued down his arm until it began to form a Keyblade. That's right, it was a Keyblade, there was no doubt about it. It resembled one of his wind lances, long and sharp, and the teeth looked just like the blade of the lance itself.

"How could you have one of those? It isn't possible!" Sora exclaimed in disbelief.

"You damn fool, have you already forgotten? We of the new Organization XIII are all a part of Xehanort now, and he is a full-fledged Keyblade Master! He has given us all the gift to wield the Keyblade as though it were our own! Xaldin explained.

It was now Sora realized that Xaldin's eyes had become the same golden color as Xehanort's, like his other followers. "So be it. It doesn't matter to me, because you're all the same. And I swear I will kill every last one of you," Sora said, getting into his battle stance.

Xaldin was taken aback by Sora's attitude. He had not seen this side of the young warrior during their first encounter, and neither Xehanort or his other Organization members had ever seen him like this. _The boy has changed... It is too bad he will have to die,_ Xaldin thought to himself. "Then try and kill me if you can!" He taunted.

Sora charged forward, but not because he fell for the taunt. He had formulated a plan, and was now attempting to put it into action. He fiented an attack at Xaldin, who fell for the bluff attack and swung his Keyblade at Sora. When he swung the blade, a gust of wind came out of it, one that would have surely sent Sora flying had he not dodged it. "So it does have the same wind powers that his lances did," Sora muttered to himself. Sora jumped off the mast but grabbed hold of it with his and flipped himself over and behind Xaldin. He tried to strike quickly at Xaldin's back but Xaldin blocked his attack with his Keyblade. The two weapons met and sent sparks flying in all directions.

Xaldin stepped back and surveyed his current situation. He knew Sora could beat him in this one-on-one bout, his skills and experience with a Keyblade far exceeded his own. Still... He knew he could at least make things interesting. He looked down and saw Jack and Davy Jones fighting for their lives, and for the chest containing Jones' heart. Xaldin smirked and swung his Keyblade, sending a gust of wind at Jack and Jones. The gust sent Jack nearly flying over the edge.

"Jack!" Sora yelled out and he jumped from the mast like a he was shot out of a cannon. He landed on his feet and ran to the edge of the ship, where he could see Jack was barely holding on. He somehow managed to hold onto the chest as well. "I got you, take my hand," Sora said. He grabbed Jack's sleeve and heaved him over the edge. Sora turned and expected to see Jones, but Jones was now fighting Elizabeth.

"I have a plan, but you will need to distract him," Jack said.

"Right, I'm all ears," Sora replied. Jack talked Sora through the plan. Not a very creative plan but an effective at that.

Sora ran to Elizabeth's side. "Mind if I help?" He asked.

"Not at all. Will's out though, Davy Jones stabbed him. Elizabeth replied. Sora wanted to turn to look at Will, to see if he was alright, but something inside him told him that Jack knew he had been injured, and that his plan would somehow help him.

They began fighting Davy Jones together, to keep him distracted from the real plan. Jack was sneaking around them and to Will's side. He took the heart out of the chest and placed a knife in Will's hand.

"Tell me, do yee fear death?!" Jones howled at Sora and Elizabeth.

"Do you?" Jack said, getting Jones' attention. Will stabbed down on the heart. Jones clutched his chest, and staggered backwards. He looked up at the sky and muttered. "Calypso..." He then fell over the edge of the ship and into the bottomless abyss of the whirlpool.

Sora turned to see Elizabeth trying to keep Will from fading out. "Stay with me Will, please don't go," she cried.

"Part of the ship, part of the crew," the pirates of Jones' crew began to chant. Except now they looked different. They looked human again, not like the fish-like monsters Davy Jones' own ignorance had turned them into to. They continued to chant, "Part of the ship, part of the crew," and grabbed Will. Elizabeth wanted to stay by Will's side, but Jack knew what the pirates were doing. They were saving his life.

Sora, Jack, and Elizabeth made it back to the Black Pearl as the storm calmed and the whirlpool dispersed. Gibbs approached Jack in a panic and said, "Jack! Lord Beckett's ship is coming straight towards us. We've already lost a lot of men and ship is in bad shape, we'll be slaughtered!"

"Mister Gibbs, I'm going to ask that you... Shut up! And you, don't say a word, Jack said to Barbosa. "Load all the cannons and prepare to fire on my mark." He took the ship closer to Beckett's ship until they were right alongside each other.

No one knew what Jack was planning, it seemed he had brought them all to certain death. They didn't have the firepower nor the numbers to take down this ship alone

Suddenly, the Flying Dutchman, commandeered by Will, rose out of the waters and alongside Beckett's ship, opposite of where the Pearl was. He was at the helm, a large smile on his face. He and Jack knew what to do. At the same time they called out, "Fire!" and the cannons from both ships began to fire and rip Lord Beckett's ship into shreds. Explosions were going off all over the ship, as its own gunpowder stocks ignited. It was only a matter of minutes before the remains of the ship sank to the bottom of the ocean.

The ship sunk, and Davy Jones and Beckett defeated, this fight was done. Sora and all the others proceeded to celebrate on the Black Pearl for a job well done. Will came over and explained how he had survived. "Since I stabbed the heart, it is now my duty to be captain of the Dutchman, and I will do the job the right way, unlike Jones. There's only one problem... I can only step on land once every ten years. And today is my one day."

"Oh Will," Elizabeth said sadly as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Now, now, it's alright, really," Will tried to comfort her.

"Well then, I say we get these two lovebirds to shore and give them some privacy," Jack said, much to everyone's surprise.

"Wow, Jack, that actually makes sense, even though it came out of your mouth," Will laughed.

"I suppose I should just take that as a compliment, your welcome. Mister Gibbs! Take us to the nearest shore!" Jack said to his trusted friend.

"Aye Captain, land it is!" Gibbs answered as he turned the ship towards a landmass on the horizon.

Sora cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "I think it's time for Donald, Goofy, and I to be on our way. It was good to see everyone again."

"We can't thank you enough for all you've done to help us," Will said.

"No need, we're happy to be of help," Donald said.

"He's right, no need to thank us. It's sort of our job at this point. That reminds me, if any darkness pops up or if Xehanort and his followers attack this world, don't worry because we'll stop them," Sora said determinedly.

"Good to know, thank you, my friend," Will said. He offered his hand, Sora accepted it and the two friends shook hands.

**The Realm of Darkness:**

"I'll take first watch," Riku said as he and Mickey prepared to rest after a long day of searching. They had still seen no sign of Aqua despite looking all over the place. Worse yet, the number of Heartless was increasing at an alarmingly fast rate, making each day more difficult than the last.

"Not a chance, you need the rest more than I do. I'll take first watch," Mickey said in a tone that told Riku there was no arguing.

"Fine, but don't let me sleep too long, you need to rest too," Riku said tiredly. He lied down up against a rock and tried to make himself comfortable, with no luck. He and Mickey were both near exhaustion, and if they didn't find Aqua soon, they would have to use the Star Piece just to get back to the Realm of Light in piece. He started thinking about Sora, and how his mission was going. He hoped that Sora, Donald, and Goofy were having much better luck with their assignment than he and Mickey. That was one of the last things on his mind before he drifted off to sleep...

Riku was awoken by a horrible screeching sound. He shot up to see countless Heartless all around, and Mickey fighting them all off.

"Mickey!" Riku yelled out and quickly summoned his Keyblade to join his friend in the fight. Several Heartless came at Riku but he calmly struck them down with a few swings of his weapon. The numbers of the Heartless seemed endless as Riku tried to get closer to Mickey, but getting disrupted by the Heartless with each step he took. "Damn... Get outta my way!" he bellowed as he attacked the Heartless in many quick successive strikes.

At last he made it to Mickey and they stood back-to-back, both in ready battle stances. "You should've woken me up," Riku said.

"Didn't really have the time to stop and do that, to be honest with ya," Mickey snapped back. "Doesn't matter now anyway, we gotta take these Heartless out and then move on before more come this way. You ready?"

"Yeah, let's do this," Riku said, his eyes narrowed.

"Alright then, we-" Mickey was cut off by a sudden flash of light that temporarily blinded both himself and Riku. When he could open his eyes, he saw no Heartless and he looked up and saw something on a nearby ledge that made his mouth hang open in disbelief.

Standing on the ledge, a Keyblade in hand, bloodied and looking exhausted beyond belief, was Master Aqua.

**End of chapter:**

**Well there's my first ever chapter to exceed over 3,000 words. Hope you liked this chapter, and if you aren't a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean, well then I'm sorry I put so much emphasis on that storyline. But now Riku and Mickey have found Aqua! So you should be jacked up about that!**

** As always, give me the heads up on typos, thanks for reading, and leave a review giving me some tips! Thanks again!**


	12. Chapter 12

_I know it's been a while since an update, so sorry about that, I've been busy and also have been working on a story of my own on FictionPress. I'm under the same username so if you are interested, I already have the first couple chapters out for my story on FictionPress. Let's start chapter 12._

**Realm of Darkness:**

"Master Aqua, it's you!" Mickey exclaimed as the last of the Heartless dispersed into darkness.

Master Aqua jumped down from her perch and approached Mickey and Riku slowly. She looked no older than the last time Mickey had seen her, but that was not surprising. In the Realm of Darkness, there was no sense time, it was just an endless abyss of darkness that went on forever.

Master Aqua's clothes were torn up in some places, as well as being covered in blood from nearly nonstop battles against the Heartless. "It's good to see you again, both of you," she said.

"Wait, we've met?" Riku asked as he tried to remember her.

"We have, on your home island, but you were very young," Aqua said.

"Wait I remember now! We were playing something and then you showed up almost out of nowhere. We talked and, that's really all I can remember," Riku said.

"Yes, I told your friend Sora, to make sure you never turned to darkness, because you reminded me of my friend, who lost his heart in darkness," Aqua said sadly.

"He did, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here now," Riku said.

"Well, why are you two here? Did you get stuck in the abyss too?" Aqua asked.

"Not quite," Mickey said, "We're here to rescue you."

"You are? But how will we get back?" Aqua asked.

"With this," Mickey replied pulling out the Star Piece, still glowing in a shining yellow light. "We can create a light portal with this and get home. I just activated it, and Master Yen Sid told me it's going to take some time to charge up."

"You had to say that now?" Riku said as Heartless began appearing over the same high point Aqua was just standing on. Mostly Shadows and Neoshadows, but the three warriors became a little worried when several Darksides came into view. "How long is that gonna take?"

"Only a few minutes, a the most," Mickey answered.

"Hope we have that time," Riku said as he lunged at a Shadow, striking it with his Keyblade and killing it. A few more Heartless also furred to attack him, but he took them all down with ease.

One of the Darksides aimed to attack Aqua, but she easily dodged one of its punches and seemed to glide in the air, slashing the large Heartless as she went by. Before she even landed, she used her magic and sent a large spear of ice right onto the side of the Darksides head, which killed it almost instantly.

Mickey held the Star Piece in one hand and his Keyblade in the other, slashing away at any Heartless nïeve enough to get close. It wasn't long before the Star Piece had charged up and Mickey shouted out, "It's ready, get back!"

Riku and Aqua got behind Mickey, who tossed the Star Piece into the air where it seemed to explode in the air, sending light out in all directions. The intense light forced all the Heartless back, and with the opening in front of them, Mickey, Riku and Aqua ran through the light portal.

They popped through the portal and found themsleves back in the Realm of Light, more specifically, they were at Master Yen Sid's tower. They looked around but saw no one outside, only the empty grass yard with the large tower overhead.

"This is Master Yen Sid's, it's been so long," Aqua said quietly.

"You've been out of the light for some time now, Aqua, it's good to have you back," Mickey said. "Come on, let's go inside."

The three Keybearers walked into the tower and went upstairs, to Master Yen Sid's office. He was at his desk, and he gave a slight nod as the three of them walked in. "Ah, Master Aqua, it is good to see you once again," he said.

"Yes Master, it is good to see you as well," she replied, bowing her head slightly.

"It's good that you are all back, which means the Star Piece we created worked well, I assume?" Master Yen Sid asked.

"Yeah, it took a minute or so to warm up, but it got the job done," Riku answered.

"That's good, very good indeed. Now, since you are all back, then I will contact Sora and tell him to return, and we can begin the next phase of our plan," Master Yen Sid said.

"Which is what, exactly?" Riku asked.

Master Yen Sid looked at Riku and then at Aqua. "Master Aqua, you are the only one who knows where Ventus is, am I correct?"

"Yes Master, in Castle Oblivion, in-" Aqua began.

"In a room you hid with a magic that only you can unlock," Master Yen Sid cut her off.

She was very surprised that he knew that. "Yes Master, but how did you know that?"

"Because since Xehanort's return, his dark forces have taken back control of Castle Oblivion. Luckily, they are not aware of Ventus' whereabouts within the castle thanks to your magic," Master Yen Sid answered.

Riku took the information Master Yen Sid had given and figured out the next move. "So you're saying that when Sora, Donald, and Goofy return, our next move will be to assault Castle Oblivion and rescue Ventus. Is that right?" Master Yen Sid gave a slight nod, confirming what Riku had said. "But wait, where's Lea and Kairi?"

"They are on a quick mission to deliver a message of mine to Disney Castle, they will return shortly. But Riku, be careful what you say around Kairi. In her last mission she encountered someone from her past, and it turns out he is one of Xehanort's thirteen darknesses."

"Someone from her past... Is it someone me or Sora would know?" Riku asked.

"No, it is someone she knew from Radiant Garden, when she was very young. His name is Viggo, a Keybearer who had once trained under Master Eraqus, and was also a good friend of mine. Then he disappeared without a trace, and is now one of the new Organization XIII. My assumption is that he is either being tricked or controlled by Xehanort, or his heart has been truly lost to darkness forever," Master Yen Sid explained.

"Oh, I see," Riku replied, sorry that he couldn't help Kairi before.

"For now, all of you need to rest, as soon as Sora gets back, we shall begin our next move," Master Yen Sid said, before getting up from his desk, entering his own room, and closing the door behind him.

_End of chapter: _

_Yes I know its short, but whatever, I've been really busy and am just trying to move the story forward. Think of this chapter as a "filler" type chapter. So leave a review, and thanks for reading._


	13. Chapter 13

Sora, Donald, and Goofy were on their way back to Master Yen Sid's tower in their Gummi Ship. Master Yen Sid had contacted them earlier and informed them that not only had Mickey and Riku returned, but Master Aqua was with them. Now they were to return as well, and learn to Master Yen Sid's plans toward the next step.

Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worst...

"Sora, Donald, Goofy! Are you there?" A squeaky voice cried through the Gummi Ships communicator.

"Dale? Is that you?" Goofy asked.

"No this is Chip! But that's not important, so listen up. Disney Castle is under attack by Xehanort's forces! Come quick!" Chip yelled through the communicator.

"Right, but what about the others?" Sora asked.

"I've already contacted Master Yen Sid and Mickey, they're on the way too, but you have to hurry!" Chip cried.

"We'll get there as soon as we can!" Donald called out from the rear seat, "Sora, punch it!"

Sora nodded to his friend and did just that, turning the ship around into the direction of Disney Castle and making the ship go as fast as it could.

"Is this Xehanort's first legitimate move, or something else entirely?" Sora thought to himself.

A short while later they arrived at Disney Castle and landed the ship in the Gummi Hangar. They all jumped out of the ship and immediately headed for the stairs. Just then, Chip and Dale, the Gummi Engineers, appeared. "You're here, but you have to hurry! They're already in the throne room, and... And..." Chip explained.

"Don't worry, we'll make sure we take care of them, count on it. Let's go guys," Sora said. They ran up the stairs and out of the hangar, through the doors and into the garden courtyard of Disney Castle. Sora's eyes widened at the scene before him. The Much of the garden was engulfed in flames and parts of the Castle destroyed. The sky was pitch black except for the ball of dark energy in the sky. It was the same dark ball that Sora had last seen when his island was destroyed.

He summoned his Keyblade and started to run to the throne room. In a matter of seconds, Heartless of all kinds began to appear in front of him, along with Ansem. "So we meet again, boy, I see you are still as weak as ever," he hissed.

"Outta my way, I have to protect my friends!" Sora snapped at Ansem, who laughed manically.

"If you're referring to Queen Minnie, then too bad. Any second now, my forces of darkness will overtake the throne room, where she is attempting to hide. You see, your foolish friends had attempted to use light magic to protect this castle, but it was no match for Master Xehanort's dark magic. He broke through it with no effort at all. A feeble attempt to keep the darkness out, but there will always be cracks in the light for darkness to seep through."

"I said get out of my way, or I'll make you," Sora said defiantly.

"You may try. Heartless! Kill them!" Ansem ordered his dark minions before disappearing in a dark portal.

"Damn, he's gone," Sora said before knocking away a small flying Heartless. He charged forward, swinging his Keyblade at any Heartless that dare stand in his path, determined to reach the inside of the castle before it was too late. Donald and Goofy were right behind him, taking care of any enemies that Sora may have missed. They almost reached the doors to the inside when several dozen more Heartless appeared in their way.

Sora stopped momentarily, surveying the situation. Then Donald spoke. "Sora, you go on ahead, Goofy and I will take care of these guys!" He said before casting a lightning spell, taking out several Heartless at once.

"Thanks guys," Sora said before leaping into the air and right into the middle of a group of Heartless. He landed on one and stabbed it, before using a fire spell to kill the others around his immediate area. He finally reached the door and ran inside and up the stairs. Taking a quick left turn, he was now in a long hallway, with the library all the way down and the throne room about halfway down and to the right. And standing before him were even more Heartless.

Sora stood there for a moment, looking at the seemingly endless number of enemies in his way. Just then his magic clothes reacted and, in a flash of red and light energy, changed color and form. His clothes were now the same as the ones he had worn in the Realm of Sleep, and he could a new power surging through him. He had entered a new Drive Form: Dream Form.

Sora held his hand in the air and called out, "Come, lend me your strength!" Suddenly, Dream Eater Spirits appeared around Sora, to be more specific they were a Tyranto Rex, a Keeba Tiger, an Aura Lion, and a Ryu Dragon. They looked at him for a moment and then let out a small battle cry before charging into battle alongside Sora.

Sora and his Spirits cut through the Heartless in the hall one by one, never stopping or slowing their pace. They couldn't be stopped, not by weak Heartless such as these ones.

After a short time of fighting they reached the throne room door. Sora tried opening it but it was sealed by some sort of dark power. Not a good sign at all. He drew in power with his Keyblade and swung a powerful arc of light at the door, blowing a hole in it and creating an opening. As he entered the throne room he reverted back to his normal form and the Spirits disappeared back to the Realm of Sleep. "Thanks for the help guys," Sora said as they left his site. He ran deeper into the throne room and could see Queen Minnie standing next to the throne room. In front of her were three figures. Xemnas, a shorter one wearing black and red armor and a mask to conceal his face, and Master Xehanort himself. "Your Majesty!" Sora called out.

Master Xehanort turned around and grinned as he saw Sora. "So the young fool has arrived. Tell me, where are the others? Or are you the only one here?"

"It's just me," Sora said, getting into his battle stance.

"Is that so? Well then I must admit, that's rather impressive for one who was never even meant to be a Keybearer in the first place," Xehanort mocked.

Sora tightened his grip on his Keyblade. "I've already told you once that it doesn't matter to me. I don't care that it didn't choose me originally. What matters now is that I have one, so I can fight!"

"Oh, but what you don't realize is that it's a hopeless fight," Xehanort said as he summoned his Keyblade. Xemnas and the masked figure summoned Keyblades of their own. "And now you are all alone."

"He's not alone!" A voice said as a bright like suddenly filled the room. Sora covered his eyes momentarily, but when the he could see clearly again, he saw Riku, Mickey, and Lea in front of him.

"You guys finally made it," Sora said, laughing a little.

"You didn't think we'd just hang you out to dry did you?" Lea said.

"No... But you could've gotten here a little sooner," Sora said.

"Quiet, I have a plan. Riku, you take Xemnas and Sora take the other while I hold off Xehanort. Lea, your job is to get Minnie to the ship and get outta here," Mickey explained.

"Right, no problem," Lea said.

Mickey looked at all three of them and nodded. "Alright then... Go!"

Mickey leapt at Xehanort and the two locked Keyblades. Mickey swung repeatedly in an effort to get Xehanort away from the throne, but couldn't, the old Master was holding his ground well. Riku went for Xemnas and the two ended up exchanging blows back and forth until they ended up closer to the middle of the room. Sora was about to charge at his adversary, but was surprised to see his enemy charge forth. The masked figure was fast, forcing Sora to go on the defensive.

Meanwhile, Lea approached Minnie and said, "Do you have a ship of some sort?"

"Yes, at the hangar, and I can fly it myself too. Just escort me there and I can fly it to Yen Sid's," she answered.

"Alright that's good, just follow me and stay close," he replied.

Mickey and Xehanort still had there Keyblades locked, each one unable to push the other back. Xehanort sneered at Mickey. "Tell me, little King, did you get her out of the Dark Realm?"

"We did, so we're one step closer to defeating you!" Mickey yelled as he pushed Xehanort back, creating distance between them.

"No, no you've only brought me one step closer to the X-Blade!" Xehanort laughed.

"That's not gonna happen, we won't let you get the X-Blade!" Mickey snapped.

Xehanort laughed even more now. "It is inevitable, I will get it, and engulf everything in darkness!"

"We'll see about that!" Mickey said as he charged Xehanort once again. The two locked Keyblades again, sending ripples of dark and light energy off in all directions. Both of their powers were great, and the combined force of both of them could topple the entire castle.

Meanwhile, Sora was being driven back by the masked Keybearer, and out of the throne room. They ended up in the hallway overseeing the garden courtyard, and Sora decided he would be better off fighting his opponent there. He pushed the masked figure backwards and did a backflip, landing on his feet in the garden. The masked figure jumped right at him, charging his Keyblade with dark energy as he did so. Sora knew he wouldn't be able to block this attack, so at the last moment, he side stepped it and avoided it completely.

"Not bad," the masked adversary said.

"Tell me, who are you?" Sora demanded to know.

"Another piece of you," the masked figure said.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked, unsatisfied with that answer.

"You'll see soon enough!" Was the only answer Sora received now, as the masked figure charged at him once more. The two locked Keyblades and Sora found himself staring into the black mask, with no view of his enemy's face.

"I'm going to destroy everything you hold dear, including her," the masked figure suddenly said.

"Wha- what was that?" Sora could hardly speak, a little surprised at what he had just heard.

"Everyone you care about, will die," came the reply.

Now Sora felt a strange energy from deep inside him, growing stronger with each passing second. An aura of light energy began to shimmer around his whole body and his Kingdom Key, giving him the strength to push down on his opponent's Keyblade. "I won't... Let you... Or anyone else... Hurt my friends!" Sora bellowed as light energy surged out of him and directly into the body of the masked figure, who was sent flying by the attack.

Sora took deep breaths as the momentary increase in power suddenly passed and his anger subsided. The masked figure got up and Sora could see the mask was cracked in several places. The figure grabbed the mask and tossed it aside, and what Sora saw horrified him. It looked just like him, except this boy had black hair, and the same evil golden eyes as Xehanort. He recognized him too, from his time in the Realm of Sleep. It was only for a brief moment, but he remembered seeing him alongside the younger Xehanort, there was no mistaking it.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Vanitas," he said, a evil smile forming on his lips.

"Why do you..." Sora couldn't finish it.

"You know what, I'm sick of your questions. Come on, let's finish this now," Vanitas said, as he pointed his Keyblade at Sora.

Suddenly Sora heard a voice in his head. "Everyone! The Queen is safe, and the castle is falling apart into darkness. You must all get to your ships and leave immediately." It was Master Yen Sid, Sora could tell. Just then he saw Mickey and Riku jump into the garden courtyard and come toward him.

"Sora! I used a stop magic attack to slow them down but it'll only hold for a few seconds. Lea is already gone and now we have to do the same!" Mickey said. Sora looked and saw Xemnas and Xehanort jump into the courtyard now. "Right now, to the hangar!"

Sora clutched his chest for a moment, as he felt something in his heart. He had this feeling, one he couldn't deny. He had to do what he was thinking, for the sake of the others. "You guys go, get Donald and Goofy and go. I'll hold them off."

"What?! By yourself, that's crazy. Besides this world is falling apart, and you'll be lost in darkness if you stay!" Riku protested.

"Just do it alright!" Sora snapped at him.

Riku looked at his friend, seeing the determination in his eyes. Was this the same goofy Sora he had always known? "Sora..."

"Riku, I don't really agree with him either to be honest, but he's doing what his heart commands him to. And I told him before back in the World That Never Was, you can't interfere with what someone's heart commands. Even if he does end up in the Realm of Darkness, Master Yen Sid will know what to do," Mickey said.

Riku nodded and the two ran to hangar entrance, where their ship awaited them. Before entering the hangar, Riku took one more look at his friend...

Sora watched them go into the entrance. He knew if he didn't do this, then none of them would be getting off this world. Better they do and he doesn't than have none of them get off at all. He looked in front of him, where Xehanort, Xemnas, and Vanitas stood, all with Keyblade in hand.

"How noble of you, but also foolish," Xehanort laughed.

"This is where you shall meet your end," Xemnas added in.

"We'll see about that!" Sora snapped as dug deep into his inner powers. A sphere of light formed around him and then exploded open in a flash of light. When the light faded, Sora was gliding slowly in the air, a Keyblade floating next to him on either side, and his clothes were now white with black trim.

He had entered Final Form.

He shot forward without warning, and sent Vanitas flying across the courtyard. He then went after Xemnas, who blocked his attacks for only a moment before losing balance behind Sora's speed. Sora hit him in the side with his Kingdom Key and blocked Xehanort's attack with Star Seeker at the last moment.

"Not bad, I thought I had you," the old master said.

Sora knocked Xemnas backward with a strong push of light energy, and now turned his attention to Xehanort. He blocked every attack Sora threw at him, moving faster than he looked. The darkness gave him great power.

Sora was so busy with Xehanort that he didn't notice Vanitas sneaking up on him. Vanitas cut him in the arm, which began to bleed heavily right away. Luckily, in Final Form, Sora didn't have to physically hold his weapons. He continued to attack Xehanort with one Keyblade, and caught Vanitas off guard by launching an arc of light from the other, which sent him flying once more.

Xehanort suddenly vanished in a cloud of darkness and appeared several dozen feet behind Sora. He let his Keyblade disappear and folded his hands behind his back. Vanitas and Xemnas came to his side and waited for his order. "Do you see that?" He asked as he pointed to the sky. Sora looked up and saw the ball of dark energy growing larger as it engulfed anything in its path into darkness. "That will either send you to the Realm of Darkness, or kill you. Either way, your efforts were for nothing," he said as he and the others disappeared into dark portals.

Sora reverted back to normal and looked up. "No, not for nothing," he said, as the castle was swallowed into the ball, and everything disappeared into darkness...

_End of chapter:_

_Nothing to say really, just let me know about any typos, and leave a review. _


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